Days Without Nights
by Angevon
Summary: Years after the events of Persona 4, Yosuke Hanamura is married. Then his wife leaves him. [Eventual YosukeXSouji] [Both 'Souji' and 'Yu' versions are available; see the Author's Notes on Ch.1!]
1. Chapter 1

[Author's Note: Kink Meme Prompt: _Might I please have Yosuke in a situation where he is married with a child and a busy career, when his wife suddenly leaves him. Knowing Yosuke and his capacity for heartbreak, I can only imagine how hard it would be for him to juggle his job and young child (particularly if his wife held the primary caretaking role before the split), so who does he end up calling for help but his old pal Souji. What starts as a few days turns into a few weeks which turns into months and soon, Souji is living with them full time. Naturally, this is made all the more surreal by the fact that old high school attractions start cropping up._

Be warned—this story starts off rather heavy and depressing! It'll lighten up once you-know-who gets in it, but that'll take several chapters. Even so, it's a bit of an emotional roller coaster of a story with several ups and downs.

The story takes place about a dozen years after Persona 4's ending. As far as I'm aware, there aren't any big spoilers for the series. The title comes from a line in the song, 'Signs of Love.' This story is clean. It's rated T for heavy themes. I'll put warnings when appropriate.

**This story will end in Yosuke/Souji, just so you know!**

A Yu Narukami version is available at Dreamwidth at the following address:  
angevon dot dreamwidth dot org/7831 dot html  
Every 'dot' should be a '.'

Please enjoy!]

* * *

Yosuke Hanamura stared at the paper in his hands as if the single word written on it would suddenly change.

_Goodbye_

It was Michiko's writing. They hadn't been getting along lately, true, but he couldn't believe it was this bad. But here was proof staring him right in the face. _Goodbye._ Not even a number to reach her at. She'd left her cell phone right there on the kitchen table. A clean split.

_Goodbye._ She had always been a woman of few words, even when they'd first met all those years ago. He'd been working the food court at Junes, and she'd been visiting Inaba with one of her girlfriends, and he'd accidentally spilled a soda on her, and...

Well, no point in reminiscing now. She'd left him.

He stared up blankly at the kitchen's ceiling light. His wife had left him. She was gone. Gone. Gone...

He ripped the paper in half in sudden panic. Gone!? _What if she took Kichirou!?_

Hiccuping in fear, Yosuke ran to their son's room. The door was wide open, but it always was, even during the night. He trembled before the doorway, afraid to look in the room and find out, but then he heard the sounds of a video game, so he finally peeked in. His beautiful eight-year-old son, Kichirou, was on his futon, controller in hand, eyes glued to the TV screen. Another boy his age was sitting next to him, watching him play.

"Try firestorm!" the friend shouted, and Kichirou nodded and pressed some buttons.

"H-hey, Ki-kun," Yosuke said, walking into the room. "And, umm, Hiroshi-kun."

His son glanced at him very briefly before turning back to the game. "Dad! I'm on a boss! Watch me fight it!"

Yosuke smiled and joined his son on the futon, worries momentarily set aside. He put his arm around the boy's shoulder affectionately, and the boy leaned into him, eyes still focused on the screen. Such a good kid...

He looked at the screen, too. They were playing some sort of role-playing game. The boss was an octopus-looking thing that had attacked the ship his party was on. If it was a monster from the ocean, though, it should be weak to... "Try Zio," Yosuke suggested. "Err, I mean... thunder?"

"How did you know?" Kichirou exclaimed when the attack worked well. "Have you played this before, Dad?"

"Lucky guess," Yosuke replied with a small smile. Some games were quite predictable.

He stayed with the boys until the boss fight was won. He stayed for the cutscene afterward, too, but used the opportunity to look at his son. Kichirou had inherited Yosuke's floppy hair, the color a dark brown in hue, almost black. His eyes were dark, too, taking after his mother. He definitely had a Hanamura face, but his button nose was from the Furusawa side of the family. It was hard to say at his age whether he'd grow up gangly like Yosuke or more elegant like Michiko.

"Whoa!" Kichirou whispered, a sound echoed by Hiroshi. Yosuke blinked at the screen. The giant octopus was sinking the ship in its death throes. The screen faded and then the main character was stranded on a beach somewhere, all alone. While Kichirou was accessing the save menu, Yosuke asked if he'd seen his mother lately.

The boy frowned. "No, Dad. Have you checked her room?"

'Her' room. Sure, Yosuke had been sleeping on the living room couch for the last week, but... it was still _their_ room... Mom and Dad's room...

"R-right..." Yosuke didn't bother to check, knowing she wouldn't be there. He'd just wanted to find out if she'd told Kichirou that she was leaving. Apparently not. That was probably for the best, but that meant _he_ had to tell him.

He felt the shortness of breath that signaled panic welling up within him, so he left the room before the boys could see it. How the hell was he going to explain this to Kichirou? _Yeah, Mom's gone. I guess she doesn't love us anymore. N-no, of course she still loves you, Ki- kun..._

He made his way back to the kitchen. He crumpled the torn halves of the note she'd left and stuffed them in the trash can. With the evidence out of sight, maybe he could pretend it had never been there. _Oh, Mom must have gone out for the night with some friends. I'm sure she'll be back later._

Yosuke frowned to himself. Where had she gone? His first guess was her parents' place, so he called them. Yosuke wasn't on bad terms with his in-laws; he was sure they'd be willing to talk to him, even if she'd told them not to.

"Furusawa-san? It's, umm..."

"Hanamura-san? Hello." It was Michiko's father. He didn't sound angry or anything... mostly puzzled at the sudden call. Yosuke took that as a good sign.

"Has Michiko talked to you lately?" Yosuke tried.

"We haven't heard from her since you stayed over during the holiday. Is there something we should be aware of?" The holiday he mentioned was Golden Week, which had been over a month ago.

_She left me._ "Oh, no. We're doing _fine._" Yosuke mentally cursed himself. That didn't sound suspicious at all! He groped for an explanation for the call and his eyes alighted on the cell phone Michiko had left on the kitchen table. "Uh, what I meant was, she's getting a new phone! So you might get a call from a strange number."

"You could tell us the new number now," his father-in-law suggested.

"O-oh! W-well, she hasn't bought it yet, so... I didn't think of that! I'll, uh, just call you back when we have it, haha... Sorrytobotheryou."

"Wait—" he heard on the other line before hanging up.

He stood hunched over the table, breathing heavily to try and calm himself down. He mopped the sweat from his brow with nervous fingers. So. She hadn't told her parents. Yosuke had no idea where she was. One of her friends, maybe?

She hadn't been cheating on him, had she...?

He didn't want to think about it.

He realized that in his anxiety he hadn't changed from his work clothes. He'd immediately seen Michiko's note and it had completely thrown off his 'I'm home from work' routine. There was no need to continue wearing a suit and tie here in the comfort of his own home. He changed into more casual clothes—khaki pants and a dress shirt. He didn't wear v-neck t-shirts anymore; Michiko preferred him to dress somewhat nicely, even at home. It was sad, really, because he liked having his collarbone exposed. He thought it one of his better features.

After changing, he turned his attention to a more immediate concern: it was already past 7 pm. He wasn't hungry, but Kichirou would need to eat something. He opened the fridge and stared mindlessly at its contents. He wouldn't be able to focus on cooking. Hell, when was the last time he'd cooked anything more than instant ramen, anyway?

A half-and-half teriyaki chicken and shrimp pizza from the local pizzeria was sounding more and more appetizing. He called up and ordered delivery. He told the kids and they were so excited to have pizza that he cheered up a little bit. "Yeah, you can stay, too, Hiroshi-kun," he told Kichirou's friend. "If your parents are okay with it."

"You're awesome, Hanamura-san!" Hiroshi replied, and Kichirou giggled at his friend. "Pizzaaaaaa~!"

His cheer evaporated when he returned to the kitchen to wait for the delivery. They were going to eat dinner without Michiko. Both of the boys were going to ask why. "She's not feeling well," he mumbled to himself, practicing the excuse so it would sound more natural. "She's resting in her room. Don't worry, I'll make sure she eats something." He repeated it a couple more times, wondering if he could convince himself that it was true before deciding that sort of thinking would lead him down an even darker path.

There was a knock on the door and he couldn't help but pray that it was his wife returning, but she would've had a key. With a resigned sigh, he pulled out his wallet, opened the door, paid for the pizza, and took it inside.

He set the box down on the kitchen table, washed his hands at the kitchen sink, and then pulled out some plates and napkins from the cabinets and called the kids in. "Pizza's here! Go wash your hands!"

The boys gathered around the kitchen table, hovering over the pizza box, just waiting for him to open it. It was always an exciting moment to a kid, huh? The opening of a pizza box.

He threw the box open with an exaggerated flourish and they all looked eagerly inside. He hadn't told them what kind he'd ordered so it was quite a surprise to them.

While they marveled, he stared at the half-shrimp, half-teriyaki chicken pizza. Despair almost swallowed him when he realized he didn't even like shrimp pizza; he'd ordered that because that's what Michiko always ordered for herself and he'd made the thoughtless assumption that she'd be here to eat it with him...

"Are you okay, Dad?" Kichirou asked, concern in the boy's voice.

Yosuke blinked rapidly. "Oh. Y-yeah! I just realized I forgot to get drinks." He went and opened the fridge, then looked back at the boys. "You guys mind The Natural? I think we also have some Orange Smash in the cabinet, but it wouldn't be cold."

"Aww, I like Orange Smash." Hiroshi pouted. "But The Natural is okay, too."

"Ki-kun?" Yosuke asked, since the boy hadn't answered.

"Whatever you're having, Dad!"

When the pizza had been served, Kichirou asked the question he'd been dreading. "Isn't Mom going to eat?" Yosuke had only set out three plates. Kichirou looked at Hiroshi's plate as if wondering whether his friend had usurped his mother's place at the table.

"She's not feeling well," Yosuke recited crisply. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her. I always do!"

Kichirou frowned. "Poor Mom... We can save some pizza for her, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Yosuke set some of the shrimp pizza aside and wrapped it up in plastic wrap, then put it in the fridge. Heck, maybe she _would_ come home later tonight... Maybe she'd realize she'd made a mistake in leaving...

The boys devoured the remaining pizza in record speed. Yosuke only had one slice, and, lost in his melancholy, took forever to eat it. After he'd cleaned the few dishes they'd used, it was time to walk Hiroshi home. He apologized to the boy's parents for allowing him to stay so late, but they didn't seem to mind since Hiroshi had called them. They trusted the Hanamuras. Kichirou was often trusted with them, too.

On the walk back home, Yosuke held his son's hand and listened while the boy animatedly told him about the video game he'd been playing earlier. Yosuke made an effort to pay attention even though the game's story, like in most role-playing games, seemed quite convoluted. "So now you're looking for your sister, huh?"

"Yeah, we found everyone else on the beach. Even the space dog!"

Yosuke didn't have much time to play video games anymore, especially not the sort of long-winded story-based games his son enjoyed. But he definitely remembered getting invested in a game's story before. There was one where the main character's love interest had been killed, and...

He talked with his son, guessing at how he'd find the main character's sister until they reached the house. Yosuke paused upon unlocking the door, foolishly hoping Michiko would be home, watching TV on the couch like she usually would be doing at this hour...

Of course she wasn't. After Kichirou had used the bathroom, Yosuke sat on the couch and turned on the TV, inviting his son to sit with him. He turned the channel to the weather report. He hadn't lived in Inaba since he'd married, but it was still a habit. Seemed like it was going to be cloudy, matching his heavy heart. Then he changed it to the quiz show. They had a good time playing it, but it was awkward without Michiko. She was an expert at it, much like a certain little girl in Inaba had been.

With the show over, it was time to give Kichirou a bath. This had always been Yosuke's job, ever since the boy was a baby. It had been his primary way of bonding with his son, too. Kichirou was probably old enough to start taking them on his own now, but... then he'd lose that precious bonding time. And Kichirou still loved bath time with him, so...

The two of them had a lot of fun with the bath toys, especially the shark and the tyrannosaurus rex. Then Yosuke brought out a toy boat and they reenacted the octopus attack from the video game.

When bath time was over, Yosuke dried himself and his son with a towel and then changed Kichirou into his pajamas and put him to bed in his futon. He pulled the Featherman-themed sheets all the way up to the boy's chin. "Goodnight, Kichirou." He kissed the boy's forehead. "I love you very much."

"Love you too, Dad... Tell Mom I love her too..."

Yosuke tried not to look stricken. "Of course..."

He turned off the lights and left the room, wiping his eyes at the deception. He wouldn't be able to hide it from the boy for very long. If Michiko didn't come back soon... What was he going to do?

Without his son to ward them off, his thoughts turned to his wife and the grief he was holding back. He knew she hadn't been happy with him. But this unhappy? To leave without a word? To leave without any of her belongings?

He entered their bedroom. All of her clothes were in her drawers and her shoes in the closet, and all of her jewelry still in the jewelry box.

He toyed with what had once been her favorite necklace, one he'd bought for her years ago when their marriage was still young. It was a small string of pearls with a flower-shaped pendant studded with tiny opals. He couldn't remember the last time she'd worn it for him.

He tore himself away from the dresser and forced himself to change into his nightclothes. He hesitated before getting in their big, Western-style bed—maybe he should sleep on the couch again— but ended up crawling under the covers. He laid on his side and closed his eyes, thinking of his missing wife.

* * *

_"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Yosuke babbled. He tried to wipe the spilled soda off of the girl's dress with the nearest rag, but he'd recently used it to clean the food court's tables so it wasn't a clean rag, and..._

_"Can't you tell you're only making it worse?" the girl's friend complained. "We'll take care of this ourselves."_

_"N-no, it's my fault," Yosuke protested. "Come on, I'll make it right. I promise!" He pulled the unresisting girl to her feet and dragged her to the stockroom, where he grabbed a bunch of paper towels and continued to try and dry her off. Of course she'd been wearing a white dress and he'd spilled a brown, syrupy soda all over her. "Damn, that dress is ruined... I'm so sorry! Wait here, I'll be right back!"_

_He rushed to the women's clothing department and found a dress approximately the same size and brought it back to her._

_"Here, put this on!" he told her, holding out the dress._

_The girl just looked at him._

_Maybe ordering her to change in the stockroom was a bit weird... "Umm, umm, I'll go outside and close the door!" He pushed the dress into her hands and immediately left the room. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously while he waited outside the door._

_A few minutes later, she stepped out of the stockroom wearing the new dress. It was a coffee- cream colored affair with a white sash and little white ribbons on the shoulders and chest. The color really set off her dark eyes. Her soft black hair was in a little disarray after pulling the dress over her head. Despite that, she was pretty cute..._

_It also filled out her form rather well, considering Yosuke hadn't put any thought into picking it out for her. He'd just been working on automatic._

_He blushed at noticing that and shook his head. "Ah, ah, I'm sorry again. That dress is yours to keep." He bowed humbly with his hands drawn together in supplication, as if he was asking his friend Chie not to kick him after breaking one of her DVDs._

_The girl's eyes widened._

_"It's on me," he told her. "It was my fault, after all."_

_"Michiko! What are you—Oh!" The girl's friend had arrived, probably wondering what was taking her so long to return to the food court. "Well, good!" she huffed after taking in the sight of the new dress. "I guess Junes knows what good customer service is after all! Come, Micchan, we're going to be late!" She pulled on the girl's arm and dragged her away._

_Yosuke watched the girls leave with some regret. There went his paycheck for the day, and he couldn't even say he'd made a satisfied customer out of it. The girls hadn't bought anything, after all, except that soda he'd spilled. And he couldn't tell if she was happy with the new dress, either..._

* * *

He curled up into the fetal position on the bed. He still remembered that astonished look in her eyes when he'd said she could keep the dress. A memory so crystal-clear, it was like it had happened only yesterday.

It hadn't been love at first sight or anything—he wasn't a complete sap—but when he'd seen her again a week later, and she was wearing the same dress he'd given her... and then she'd...

He rolled over on the bed and into the depression reserved for her body. He buried his face in her pillow and breathed deeply, inhaling the remnants of her preferred perfume, a sophisticated scent he'd no longer know now that she'd left him.

He couldn't hold it back now. He wept.


	2. Chapter 2

Yosuke woke up suddenly because something was in the space next to him. Michiko!? He rolled over excitedly—

It was a clump of sheets with a pillow twisted in it.

He rolled onto his back, sucking his teeth. She was gone. It was still... He was still coming to terms with it. If one could call it that.

It was early in the morning. He had plenty of time before work, but... maybe he would call out so that he'd be home when Michiko came back. She had to come back, right? Even... even if it was just to collect her things.

Lacking a handkerchief, he wiped his eyes and blew his nose on the bedsheets. No, no... He should try to live like normal, and, and maybe things would fall into place. Maybe call his own parents, he knew they'd send him their love and support. But he wasn't sure he wanted to rely on them yet. She might come back, she might realize what she was doing was extreme, there was still hope... And then he'd do whatever it took to patch things up between them.

He stared at the light seeping between the cracks in the horizontal blinds. It wasn't so early anymore. Hey, when was Kichirou supposed to get up for school? Michiko always took care of that. Without her, Yosuke would have to do it. Usually he left for work before the two of them were even awake. He'd have to let his supervisor know that he'd have to start coming into work a little later.

He began the morning 'get up' ritual, forcing himself out of bed and into the bathroom for a quick rinse with the faucet. He kept the water rather cold in an attempt to perk himself up. It had mixed results. He shaved, then changed, putting on a dress shirt, two-button business suit, and slacks. He adjusted his red striped tie in the mirror. He combed his dark brown hair back; he no longer dyed it, though sometimes he wished he still did. He noted that it was starting to grow out again. He'd need a haircut soon. Overall, despite the near-sleepless night, he was looking presentable enough. He smiled at himself. No, that smile was totally phony. Hopefully he wouldn't have to suck up to too many customers today...

He called up his supervisor's line at Junes to let him know he'd be a little late to work today. "Wife's sick, gotta take the kid to school." He received some sympathy. His boss was surprisingly cool for a hotshot at Junes, but Yosuke was a department head, which put him high enough up the corporate ladder to excuse little things like this.

He tried to remember when elementary school was supposed to start and gauge how long it should take to get to the school to determine when to wake up his son, but in the end he decided it was better to be early than late. He'd hate to have to apologize to his son's teachers. He went to Kichirou's room and lightly shook the sleeping boy's shoulders until he stirred.

"Dad...?" Kichirou blinked at him in the morning light streaming through his window. "Where's Mom?"

"She needs more rest," Yosuke lied. A knot grew in his stomach. He'd have to tell his son eventually, but...

Kichirou yawned and then hopped out of his futon. Then he looked at his dad expectantly.

"Wh-what, son?" Yosuke asked, bewildered.

"Mom gets my clothes ready, and then she wakes me up!"

Yosuke opened a drawer, rummaged through it, and pulled out a pair of school shorts. "I guess you need underwear, first," he muttered.

Kichirou laughed—it was more of a giggle than a laugh. Then he kindly pushed his father away and took out his clothes himself. "Mom puts the clothes I'm supposed to wear next on the very left. And then she slides the next set over... see?"

"Ah," said Yosuke. It was very much like Michiko to be so organized.

Now Kichirou was standing before him with his hands held high over his head. When Yosuke continued to stare, he did a little dance. "Help me get my PJs off, Dad!"

"Right!" Yosuke said quickly, and pulled the bear-patterned pajama top over the boy's head. Then he helped his son into his school clothes.

When he finished adjusting the boy's collar, he pulled him into an impulsive embrace. Kichirou looked up at him. "Dad...?"

'I love you,' he wanted to say. Instead, he remained silent for a moment. "Doesn't Mom hug you in the morning?"

Kichirou shook his head. "No, Dad. She doesn't."

Yosuke tried to keep the hurt from his face and hugged the boy tighter. He bit his lip. Then he shook his head. "All right, now... breakfast, right?" At least that was simple enough. He wouldn't be Japanese if he didn't know how to steam rice. And he knew they had instant miso soup and dashi stock somewhere in the kitchen. He just had to find them.

Working in the kitchen made him think of Souji Seta, the guy who had been his best friend back in high school. Heck, he was still his best friend now. Yosuke continued to call him 'partner,' the nickname he'd given the guy back when they'd investigated those murders so many years ago. Yosuke called him on the phone at least twice a week, though the man didn't always answer due to his job. Yosuke wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but it involved a lot of travel. Like father, like son, apparently—Souji's parents had moved around a lot when he was growing up.

Souji had been a budding chef, and he'd often cooked for Yosuke and their other friends at school. Ah, what he would do now for a Souji-cooked meal...

He sighed. He could really lose himself in the comfortable nostalgia.

He and Kichirou ate their breakfast together in a peaceful silence. Kichirou broke it by saying, "I hope Mom gets better soon."

Yosuke swallowed. "Yeah, me too."

"Hey, Dad..." Kichirou's piercing dark eyes were directed right at him.

"Yeah, Ki-kun?" Yosuke asked.

"Are you going to walk me to school?"

"That's the plan," Yosuke told him. He swirled his coffee and stared at the patterns the cream was making on the surface. "Unless you don't want me to," he muttered. Was Kichirou okay with him taking Mom's place...?

"I wanna go with you, Dad!" Kichirou had almost climbed onto the kitchen table in his excitement. "I wish I could go to work with you, too!"

Yosuke was taken aback by his son's eagerness. This must be how Souji's uncle, Dojima-san, had felt when he'd started taking more responsibility for his daughter, Nanako-chan... He smiled at Kichirou. "Maybe one day," he promised.

* * *

Yosuke came home from what felt like the longest day of work to an empty house. He searched it front to back, and there was no sign that Michiko had visited, but also no sign of his son, either. It was already past 6 pm; Kichirou should've come home from school a long time ago.

He rapidly went into a panic. What if Michiko had come home... and taken Kichirou? He didn't have any way to contact her. There was no note on the kitchen table. That was the first place he'd looked, since the kitchen was the first room next to the front door, and he usually entered it first out of habit. She could just sneak in while he was at work and steal their son and Yosuke would never see him again.

No, no...

But Kichirou had a cell phone! Yosuke immediately called it. No answer. No, no! Was Michiko forcing him not to answer? If he lost Kichirou too, what would be the point in anything?

Then his cell phone rang, and it was his son's number. "Ki-kun!" he shouted frantically upon answering. "Where are you!?"

"Umm, Dad! I'm at Hiroshi-kun's! Mom wouldn't answer the door, so I went over there..."

Yosuke heaved a massive sigh of relief. After he calmed himself, he asked, "You don't have a key to the house?"

"Mom always lets me in, Dad!"

"Oh." He frowned to himself. He didn't know that. He'd have to find the spare key they kept in one of the kitchen drawers and give it to him. Dammit, now their son was going to be a latchkey kid... "Umm, are you ready to come home? I'll come pick you up."

"Aww..." the boy said. "Please please please, can I stay? Hiroshi-kun's mom is making curry!"

Yosuke smiled into the phone. "All right. Call me when you're ready to come home, then."

"Thanks, Dad!"

'I love you,' he began to say, but the boy had already hung up.

Yosuke relaxed somewhat. He still had Kichirou. Damn, he was a wreck. He was still shaking. He breathed in and out until he calmed down, then vaguely wondered what to eat for his own dinner. If only he could invite himself over to Hiroshi-kun's house. Homemade curry sounded great.

He opened the fridge. The leftover shrimp pizza stared him in the face, and he decided he wasn't hungry.

Alone in the house, he was kind of lost as to what to do to kill time before his son called. Listen to music, he immediately thought, but then he might not hear the phone ring. Wait, today was supposed to be laundry day. But Michiko wasn't here to do the laundry. Well, he could do that. He collected all of the laundry from their hampers and brought it to the laundry room, where he sorted out the light wash from the dark wash. And then he stared at the washing machine because he didn't actually know how to do laundry. There were too many knobs and settings on the machine to guess at it, and he didn't know how much detergent and fabric softener to use anyway. The labels didn't help.

His son was probably going to be a while longer, and the boy could use the house line if needed, so Yosuke called up his best friend to bail him out. It took a few rings for the guy to pick up. "Hey, Souji!" Yosuke said with forced cheer. "Got a minute? I could use some help."

"Mmm, Yosuke?" His best friend's calming voice came loud and clear despite the distance, although a bit tinny. "One sec, please." Yosuke heard his friend speak to someone near him for a moment, but he couldn't make out any words. Probably Souji had covered the receiver with his hand. "All right, what's up?"

"Partner, I have no idea how to do laundry. Do you?"

Souji really was a great friend. He didn't even laugh at him! "Well, first, you should separate out the stuff that can be cleaned with bleach and the stuff that can't..."

"Well, yeah, partner, I got that much!" Yosuke chuckled. "But, uh, what the heck is fabric softener, anyway?"

Souji spent some time coaching Yosuke through the clothes-washing process, and then proceeded to explain how a dryer worked, too. "And then you're supposed to iron the good shirts and pants and hang them up in the closet."

"I think that's an advanced technique," Yosuke admitted. "And dude, I bet you don't have any 'bad' shirts and pants. You iron everything, don't you?"

"Maybe," Souji admitted. "But I know you probably don't, so... that's why I said 'supposed to.' As for the proper way to fold clothes, I suppose that's something that can't be taught over the phone."

Yosuke watched the washer's timer count down. "Yeah, I'll manage. Thanks, partner. I knew I could count on you."

"Always, Yosuke. Let me know if you need anything else."

Need anything else...? For a moment, he was tempted to unload his problems onto his friend, but no. He didn't need Souji worrying about him. It wasn't like his friend knew where his wife was. He thanked Souji one more time and then hung up.

Kichirou called before the washer was finished, so Yosuke left it on while he picked up his son. The boy'd had a good time at his friend's house. "We read the new Featherman manga! It ended on a cliffhanger! Black Condor fell off a cliff and everyone thinks he's dead!"

"Maybe his belt has a parachute," Yosuke suggested.

"I think Red Hawk's gonna catch him with a jet plane!"

"That works, too, yeah," Yosuke agreed.

Back home, Kichirou went to his room to do some homework while Yosuke finished the laundry. After everything was dry, he had to separate everything and fold it. Well, he worked at Junes, so he knew how to fold clothes. He didn't really need Souji to teach him that! Let's see, this was Ki-kun's shorts, this was his own underwear, and this was Michiko's skirt...

He held out the skirt. His wife had left some of her own clothes in the laundry bin. Should he fold it and put it away for her, too? Well, what else would he do with it?

"Dad...?"

Yosuke blinked and turned around, still clutching the skirt. His son was looking at him, his hands hesitantly on the doorframe like he wasn't sure he wanted to come into the room.

"Uh, yeah, Ki-kun?" Yosuke asked.

"Where's Mom? She's not in her room..."

Yosuke's eyes widened and his nostrils flared. "Uh, umm..."

"Dad?"

"K-Ki-kun... She's... Mom's... She..." He groped for a suitable explanation. "She's staying with Grandma and Grandpa Furusawa for a bit!" he finished.

The boy frowned. "But it's not a holiday, Dad."

"Yeah. I know. She'll stay there until she's feeling better."

Kichirou contemplated that for a moment, then asked if they could visit.

"Sure, this weekend," Yosuke lied. It would be the third weekend of the month, which was routinely reserved for visiting the in-laws, anyway. They only lived across town.

Kichirou accepted that with a nod. Then Yosuke asked him to help put away the laundry. After that, Yosuke took a bath with the boy and put him to bed. Kichirou asked him to read the next chapter in the book they were reading together—_Brave Story._ Yosuke wished they hadn't been reading that particular book. Wataru's problems at home were maybe a little too relevant.

When Kichirou had fallen asleep, Yosuke returned to the laundry room to finish putting away his own clothes. He hung up his (un-ironed) work pants in the closet and noticed something.

_That dress._ It was missing.

Yosuke frantically searched through the closet, tearing things off of hangers in his furor and letting them fall unceremoniously to the floor. Then he went to their dresser and dug through all of their clothes. It wasn't there, it wasn't there... Had she taken it with her? She couldn't have been wearing it when she'd left. She only wore it for important occasions due to how important it was to him... to them. Besides that, her other favorite dress was missing, so he assumed she'd probably been wearing that...

He eventually found the dress at the bottom of the small trash bin in the bathroom.

He stared at it forlornly in his hands. Maybe it would have been better if she had taken it with her.

Because... if it was in the trash can... then... she was throwing their memories away...

* * *

_Yosuke swept scraps of food—mostly rice—from the tables at Junes into a small dustpan. He used to be lazy and just sweep it all onto the floor, but he'd stopped because leaving food lying around like that attracted birds. They'd had a war between seagulls and crows some weeks ago and the food court cleaning policy had been changed because of it—at his own suggestion. Besides, birds brought bird poop which was rather caustic to the paint on the tables, not to mention unappetizing for customers to eat around._

_Of course, he couldn't stop customers from feeding the birds on their own. He'd created a couple of signs advising people not to feed them, but he had low hopes that people would actually read them. Just like the 'please don't throw away the trays' signs... They'd had to get trash cans with lid openings smaller than the width of a tray to stop people from doing that._

_With the tabletop swept, it was time for the disinfectant spray. He held his breath while he used it because it always made his nose sting. It was potent stuff. Say what you wanted about Junes, they didn't skimp out on cleaner. You could eat right off the table when he was done cleaning!_

_The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up while he wiped the table down. He paused in scrubbing a soy sauce stain. His Persona was stirring in his mind. It did that sometimes... He bit his lower lip and turned his head to the right._

_Standing some feet away from him was the girl he'd spilled soda on the week before, wearing that very same coffee-cream dress he'd given her then. She was watching him. The food court was practically empty this afternoon, so it was quite conspicuous._

_Yosuke straightened his posture. "Uhh... Michiko-san, right?" He worried about using her name, since she'd never given it to him. "Is there something I can do for you?"_

_She clutched one of the white ribbons on the front of her dress, but didn't reply. He glanced around the food court. There was still no one else around. It was after the Junes lunch specials rush._

_Well, he had to finish cleaning the table before the volatile disinfectant dried up and he had to reapply it, so he turned back to the table and scrubbed. He kept looking at her out of the corner of his eye, though. She was totally watching him. Why...?_

_He knew he looked like a dork. He was wearing a hair net, after all, since he'd been working the food counter, and he still sported the silly Junes apron. Chie once told him he looked like a wife in this getup, and then Yukiko had started to laugh so he didn't have a chance to retort..._

_Tabletop cleaned! Now the seats. None of the other part-timers bothered cleaning the seats, the lazy bums. Couldn't have a customer sitting in old food now, could we? Ah, he needed the disinfectant again, where'd he put the bottle—_

_Whoa! He turned around and Michiko-san had moved and now she was right in front of him...!?_

_"A-ah?" he said, smartly. She was so close that he could see the flecks of amber in her dark brown eyes. She had a nice little nose, and she was wearing some peach-colored lipstick. In fact, her lips were parted and—_

_She was kissing him._

_He stiffened in surprise, and when she pulled away, it was obvious she was surprised, too. She took a step back... and then bolted out of the food court. He called after her, but she was far too fast... Especially since he'd tripped over the damned disinfectant bottle._

* * *

He put the dress away at the very bottom of one of his own drawers for safekeeping. Then he decided to sleep on the living room couch. He couldn't stand being in their bed right now, not without her. On the couch, he could pretend that she was still there, that he'd just been temporarily banished from their bedroom.

He could pretend that things would be better in the morning.

* * *

[AN: 'Brave Story' is a children's fantasy book written by Miyuki Miyabe. There's also an anime, manga, and a video game based on it. A large theme in the book is coming to terms with the family unit breaking apart.]


	3. Chapter 3

Yosuke unlocked the door after work the following day with a small sense of dread. Coming home to a Michiko-less house was not becoming any easier.

"Ki-kun?" he called from the front doorway. There was no answer. He rushed directly to the boy's room and stopped in front of the closed door. Wait, closed door? Kichirou never closed his door, even for bed.

Yosuke put his ear to the door and...

His son was crying.

He panicked. _What do I do? What do I do? My son's crying, what do I do?_

It wasn't something that he could remember happening before. Michiko was always the one to comfort him!

If Kichirou had closed his door, then he didn't want anyone to come in and bother him, right? And with Mom gone the only one who could bother him would be dear old Dad, anyway...

_What do I do...?_

Yosuke called Souji. He'd know. When his friend picked up, he immediately shouted, "Dude, I need your help!"

"Yosuke? What's wrong?"

"Shit, what isn't wrong? Partner, when Nanako-chan was crying, what the hell did you do?"

"Crying?" Souji hummed, the sound peculiar over the phone. "Usually I'd hug her tight and tell her everything is okay. But... why? Is your boy crying?"

"Y-yeah... I don't know what to do. I just got home and he's in his room, bawling his eyes out and..."

"Okay, well," Souji said briskly, "it depends on why he's crying. What you should do is go in there, and sit next to him. Don't say anything. If he shies away from you, don't force yourself on him, he just wants to be alone. Let him cry himself out, then go talk to him. Treat him like an adult, okay? But if he doesn't shy away, hug him and tell him it's okay."

"...Even if it's not okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind. I'll tell you later, gotta take care of him. Thanks, partner."

Yosuke hung up, steeled himself, and opened the door. Kichirou was already starting to calm down on his own, but the sight of his dad made him turn away and start up again with a huge sniffle. Yosuke was clearly the intruder. "Ki, Ki, Ki-kun...?" he stuttered.

Kichirou hiccuped and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Are you okay?" Yosuke tried. He sat himself precariously on the edge of the boy's futon, ready to flee and give the boy space if he rejected him.

Kichirou shook his head. He looked at Yosuke with eyes full of hurt, but he didn't volunteer more information.

Yosuke slowly reached his arm out and tried to put it around the boy. He let out his breath in relief when the boy didn't pull away. He hugged his son to his chest, but Kichirou didn't exactly return the embrace. He kissed the top of the boy's head and rubbed his back until he finally relaxed.

Long moments later, Kichirou sighed. "Dad," he whispered, voice hoarse from the crying. "Where's Mom?"

"She's..."

"Not with Grandma and Grandpa," Kichirou finished for him. "Dad, I called them... I wanted to talk to Mom... Did you lie to me?"

"Oh..."

Shit.

"Ki-kun... I don't know where Mom is!"

Kichirou's eyes widened. "Dad...?"

"I don't know," Yosuke repeated. "She needs a break from us. From me. So she left." He blinked and tears escaped, rolling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Kichirou..."

Perhaps because his dad was now crying, Kichirou started crying again, too. Yosuke held him close until they were both out of tears.

* * *

"Is your son okay?" Souji asked when Yosuke called him back later.

"Yeah, we're both... We'll be okay. Souji, dude..." Yosuke sighed heavily. He leaned his head against the couch's back until he was staring up at the ceiling.

"What's going on?"

"Michiko left me."

There was some silence as his friend took the news in. "How long ago?"

Yosuke shifted restlessly on the couch. "Couple of days. I told Kichirou that she was visiting her parents. Kid's smart. Called them. Found out I'd lied to him. He's okay now, I think. They don't know where she is, either. I called them before calling you."

"Damn," said Souji, echoing Yosuke's own thoughts rather succinctly. "Is she not answering her phone?"

"She left her phone here. Doesn't need it where she's going, I suppose."

"Is she maybe with some of her friends?" Souji suggested. "Do you know any of their numbers, or where they live?"

"I don't, and I've tried looking them up in the phone book, but it was no go." Yosuke sighed again.

"I wish I'd gotten to know her better," Souji remarked with a sigh of his own. "I hate to ask, but do you think there's a chance that she'll come back?"

"Haven't heard from her at all," Yosuke admitted. "She could just be mad at me for something, but I can't even think what it'd be about. We haven't been very close lately, but we haven't been fighting, either." He paused, wracking his brain for the nth time for the one conversation he'd had with his wife that could've been the relationship killer, and came up blank. "Dammit, Souji, I just don't know. Something like this has never happened before."

"I see," his friend murmured.

Yosuke blinked away the tears threatening to escape from his eyes. "I still... I still can't believe that she left me. I thought I was doing everything right... I thought I was being the best husband I could be."

"I know, Yosuke, I know. You two worked hard to build that life together." Souji paused, and then Yosuke heard a sniffle—it seemed his friend was choking up in sympathy, too. "Yosuke. If there's anything I can do for you, anything at all, tell me, okay?"

"Y-yeah, partner, thanks. I've been kind of living in a dream, pretending she's just away. If she doesn't come back, I..." He shook his head by rolling it from side-to-side against the couch's back, not ready to think about that. Then he wiped his eyes. "W-well, right now, after this afternoon, I'm worried about Kichirou-kun more than anything. His mom's supposed to be with him in the morning and after school... Mornings I can handle myself, but I get home a couple of hours after him, and sometimes I work late. He'll be alone... He can't stay at Hiroshi-kun's every day... Well, maybe I can talk to Hiroshi-kun's parents and explain the situation... Just, leaving him home alone... He's a good kid so he won't get into trouble, but he'll be alone. He might end up crying again. All by himself, god I'm crying again just thinking about it." His voice was beginning to crack.

"It's going to be hard at first," his friend agreed. "But I know you'll be there for him when you can. And you don't work half as late as my uncle does, so..."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Souji... Thanks. You're the best, partner. I think I'll let you go."

"Are you sure? I'm not busy, so we can talk some more."

Yosuke spied a little boy's head peeking around the corner of the hallway. "Nah, I should get back to my son. He's pretending that he's not listening to me talk to you right now."

The boy came out into the living room, a guilty expression on his face.

"All right. Take care of him," said Souji. "Well, I know you will."

"Mhmm. Call you later, partner."

Yosuke put the phone down, thinking about how funny it was that even after all these years, Souji was still his best friend, still the first person he turned to for help.

"Was that... Uncle Seta?" Kichirou asked.

Yosuke smiled at him—not very brightly, but he still managed to inject genuine feeling into it. "Yeah. I let him know what's going on."

Kichirou smiled back. "I like Uncle Seta."

He let out a small snort, remembering how the last time Souji had visited, Kichirou had tried to hide inside the man's luggage so that he'd take him home with him. And instead of lecturing the boy for pulling that stunt, Souji had taught him how to play dead better so that the next time he tried he wouldn't be found as easily. 'Next time' had never happened, though. Man, it had already been over a year since they'd last seen Souji in person. Time really flew!

Then he sighed to himself. His best friend was a nice distraction, but his thoughts soon returned to his wife.

* * *

_Yosuke always worked the lunch rush at the Junes food court every Saturday. Sometimes he worked the morning shift, and sometimes the evening shift, but either shift included the lunch rush. Today he'd been working since the store opened, so he'd be free in the afternoon after the post-lunch cleanup._

_He was flipping over a steak on the grill when he heard a vaguely familiar voice ordering food. He looked up and saw the two girls at the counter, Michiko-san and her snooty friend. The friend was ordering for them both. Michiko-san was sort of staring at her hands... and trying not to look at Yosuke. But he noticed. Yeah, she'd seen him... she was watching him again._

_His coworker at the grill poked him lightly with the handled end of a steak skewer, and he stopped staring to finish cooking the steak. He centered the slab of meat on a plate, added what he jokingly referred to as "Junes bland-ifying sauce" and some unidentified green stuff for presentation, and then brought the steak to the customer who'd ordered it._

_With that done, he sneaked to the counter and found the girls' order—grilled fish and fried rice—and decided he'd be the one to bring it out to them. At minimum, he could at least prove that he didn't make it a habit of spilling food and drink on people._

_As if on cue, Michiko-san's friend recognized him and made a snarky comment about his clumsy appearance. Working the grill was messy business; he couldn't help getting some bland-ifying sauce on his apron. And there wasn't much you could do about hair in a hair net. He didn't tell her this, though. He just told her to remember that Every Day's Great with a very sarcastic grin._

_Then, feeling like a complete fool, he handed Michiko-san a set of napkins. He'd written a note on one of them: "I get off work at 2."_

_He was an idiot, really. What was he hoping for? That was an hour away and the girl had her annoying friend with her. And he stupidly hadn't set a meeting place or anything. He should've just put his number on there or something._

_He finished his work day on automatic, and soon enough it was 2 pm but dammit he should've put 2:15 because by the time he got out of the apron and finished fielding questions from the other staff at the clock-out station it was that late. There was no way the girl would've waited for him—_

_There she was._

_Michiko-san was standing there alone by the elevators in the lobby. She looked away upon seeing him. He walked towards her._

_"Umm, hi," he said. When she didn't respond, he continued with, "I'm glad you like that dress." The same one. She was wearing it again._

_She finally looked up at him. "It's a nice dress," she said. Yosuke felt his face warm up. And was he getting dizzy? He hadn't heard her speak before. She sounded... nice._

_"Do you... Do you wanna go out?" he asked. It came out kind of a squawk. Could he sound any more like a nervous teenager? He wasn't even a teen anymore—he'd just turned twenty! "We could get a... Well, you've already eaten, so, maybe I could get you a drink or something. O-oh, maybe that's not a good idea... I don't have another dress to give out." He chuckled and ran his fingers through his floppy brown hair._

_She laughed, and he smiled, and then they went out._

_He walked her to the flood plain. There really wasn't anywhere else to go in Inaba. The central shopping district was hardly romantic. Besides, people would stare. 'Who's that with Junes Boy?' they'd ask themselves._

_They passed the same tree that Yosuke and Chie had hidden behind when they'd been 'stalking' Kanji Tatsumi. Yosuke was reminded how Kanji had thought Naoto was asking him out... Yosuke had seen Kanji combing his hair in the school bathroom that day._

_Looking at the girl walking next to him, he wished he had taken some time to spruce himself up like that. It was summer, it was hot, he was sweating, and it didn't help that he'd been working all day._

_But they were almost where he'd wanted to take her: the overlook._

_From the hill here, you could see all of Inaba. Well, it had grown a bit since Yosuke had first moved here. Maybe in another few years all of Inaba wouldn't be visible. The Amagi Inn couldn't be seen anymore because the view was now blocked by some apartments._

_He pointed out his house to her, and told her that he'd lived here for a few years now. "Where do you live?"_

_"Okina City," she replied._

_"Oh! That's not far." He was relieved. It would suck if she was visiting from, say, Tatsumi Port Island or something. "I haven't been to the movie theater there in a while."_

_He hadn't intended anything by it—it was just a fact that the movie theater was the first thing that came to mind when he thought of Okina—but she put her hand on his on the railing and said, "Maybe we can go together."_

_He stared at the hand and his face felt as warm as the summer heat. He picked up her hand and held it against his chest. "When are you free...?"_

* * *

Michiko hadn't been his first girlfriend. Nor was she 'the first girl who was nice to him,' like Rise had jokingly suggested. But there definitely had been something special there.

Where was she? Would she come back...?


	4. Chapter 4 - Kichirou 1

Kichirou was a thoughtful boy. That is, he was often lost in thought—although he was, indeed, a kind-hearted boy, too. Now, when he wasn't thinking about school and his friends there, he was thinking about his parents.

He didn't want to think about them. It hurt, thinking about them. It hurt, calling Mom up on his cell phone and hearing only that her number was not in service. Why would she go away and not tell anyone...?

The first few days without her had been the most difficult for him. When he came home from school, she wasn't there to greet him and ask him about his day, to watch TV with him, or to give him the snack she always made for him. Dad taking her place by waking him up in the morning and putting him to bed, that was fine. But coming home and having to unlock the door by himself instead of being let in...

He'd cried the first day, sniffled but kept it in the second day, and on the third day...

On the afternoon of the third day, when the loneliness from doing homework at the desk in his room all by himself was becoming almost too unbearable, the house phone rang.

Kichirou walked from his room and stood before the phone. If it was Mom, she'd use his cell phone, so it might be one of his grandparents or someone from Dad's work or maybe a telemarketer. It might be Dad, too. Sometimes he called the house line when he was going to be working late. Kichirou picked up the receiver and answered it tentatively. "Hello?"

"Hey hey," came a very enthusiastic voice. "Kichirou~chan! It's your Uncle Seta~ How are you doing?"

"Uncle Seta!" the boy exclaimed. He hadn't talked to his favorite uncle in months. "Oh, Dad's not home... He's still at work."

"Actually, Kicchan," Uncle Seta said. Kichirou squirmed a little, still holding the phone. Only Uncle Seta and his mom called him 'Kicchan.' It was always strange to hear it from him—but Kichirou liked it. It made him feel special. "I wanna talk to _you._ I wanna know how _you're_ doing."

"M-me?" Kichirou asked, surprised. "Umm, I'm..."

"I heard about your mom," Uncle Seta said solemnly. "Hey, Kicchan. You know... When I was growing up, my mom and my dad often went away for a very long time. I was left home alone a lot... It's lonely being alone, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Kichirou admitted. He was sure he could trust Uncle Seta. He took him the most seriously out of all his relatives.

"Sometimes they'd make me stay with Grandma and Grandpa," Uncle Seta went on. "Sometimes I'd like it, because they gave me candy, but sometimes I'd hate it, because they made me go to bed early! Would you like to stay with your grandparents?"

"M-maybe..." He didn't really like that idea. They were fine to visit, but...

"They kind of smell, right? Like too much makeup, or perfume, or just... old people." His uncle snickered.

"Uncle Seta!" The boy laughed, scandalized.

His uncle's voice became serious. "So... You and your dad are alone now, huh? You okay with your dad?"

"...I miss Mom..."

"Yeah, Dad isn't Mom." Uncle Seta sounded sad, about as sad as the boy felt. "I don't know if I could choose between my mom and my dad... I love them both very much. Listen, Kicchan..."

Kichirou held the phone very close to his ear. "Uncle Seta?"

"Your dad misses Mom, too. Can you be strong for him?"

"U-umm..." the boy replied uncertainly.

"Is Hiroshi-kun still your best friend?" Uncle Seta asked suddenly.

"Y-yeah..." Kichirou was surprised he remembered that. He hadn't talked to him about his friends in a long time. "I went to his house yesterday."

"Hiroshi-kun is important to you, right? Your dad is important to me in the same way. Keep an eye on him, okay? Kicchan."

"Okay..."

"Do you know my phone number? You can call me, Kicchan, any time you're lonely or feeling mad or sad or anything. I care about you. Honestly I wish I wasn't so far away. I wanna see you again. I bet you've grown up so much!"

"I don't know your number," Kichirou admitted.

"Do you have paper handy? Here, write it down!"

Kichirou did as he was told, feeling quite happy to have his uncle's attention.

* * *

[AN: Every so often there'll be mini chapters focusing on Kichirou like this. I'm sorry it's so short ;_;

Thanks XrosaryX for leaving a review~]


	5. Chapter 5

About halfway through the workday, Yosuke was told that he had to go to a meeting after his scheduled shift. He took a break to call home and inform Kichirou that he'd be home late and also ask what the boy wanted for dinner. He planned to pick up something for them both on the way home.

To his surprise, the house line was busy. He wondered who could be calling the home like that; if it was one of Kichirou's friends, they would've just used the boy's cell. Maybe it was the grandparents? They... might have news on Michiko.

After the meeting, Yosuke headed straight home, his appetite killed once again by his melancholy. He knew his son would still have to eat, but he could just cook something simple for him. The boy was, fortunately, not a very picky eater.

Kichirou had nothing to tell him when he got home, though, so the phone call had probably been nothing important. He decided to call the in-laws anyway to see if they'd heard from his wife. They hadn't, but Furusawa-san's voice had been curt, like he blamed Yosuke for her disappearance. It hurt, but Yosuke understood that he was worried for her, too. Michiko had never been all that close with her parents, but she was still their daughter and they loved her.

Yosuke stared at the phone when he ended the call. Dammit, it was just awful, not knowing where she was... why she was gone... when would she be back...

"Daaaaaaad. I'm hungry!"

He blinked and turned to see his son standing in the doorway. "Oh... What do you want for dinner?"

Kichirou's mouth made an 'O' of surprise. "Yakisoba?"

Fried noodles. Easy right? Umm, where did Michiko keep the wok, anyway? He systematically opened up the kitchen cabinets in his search. He found the pressure cooker before he found the wok. He couldn't find any meat—pork or chicken—in the freezer, but thankfully they at least had some ramen noodles. He stared at the leftover shrimp pizza in the fridge before taking it out, peeling the shrimp off, and putting them in a bowl. It would have to do. They didn't have any cabbage, either, or bean sprouts, or much of anything needed to make yakisoba a real meal, though he did find daikon and an onion and some garlic. Well, this was going to be pretty weird... At least they had yakisoba sauce.

How long were you supposed to fry it? Umm... He was going to give up while he was ahead. He called up expert chef Souji. "Hey, partner, have you got a minute?"

"Mm, Yosuke..." his friend answered. "Is everything okay?"

Souji sounded tired. It wasn't that late at night, was it? Yosuke checked the clock and realized it was past 8 pm. He was surprised his son had held out this long without food.

"We're okay," Yosuke answered. He didn't really want to talk about Michiko right now. "Listen, do you think you could teach me to cook over the phone?"

"Mm, well, it depends on what you're cooking. And, maybe, how well you can follow directions."

"Just yakisoba. It shouldn't be too hard, right? I've got the wok out already and everything."

Souji seemed to perk up. "Are your noodles frozen? Run water over them to thaw them out, and then separate them, make sure they aren't all clumped together. What sort of meat are you using? Slice it up real thin. Cut up the cabbage and carrots and whatever veggies you plan to use while you're at it."

There were further instructions and Yosuke wrote them all down on a notepad he'd found in one of the cabinets. "Thanks, partner. I owe you one. Kichirou asked for yakisoba and I didn't want to order takeout again."

"Cooking is an important skill," Souji remarked, completely serious. "By the way, any news on...?"

Yosuke sighed. "Nope. You'll be the first to know, I swear, haha..."

"If you need to talk about it, you know I'll listen."

"Yeah, I know... M-maybe I'll call you later... Umm... I'd better get back to cooking. Thanks again!"

He hung up and then went to work, following the instructions as closely as he could manage. The finished product had a strange texture to it, and he had used way too much yakisoba sauce, and using the leftover shrimp had been a bad idea, but Kichirou, bless him, didn't complain.

He did, however, ask why Mom hadn't come home yet.

Yosuke looked down at the table. "I don't know," he mumbled. "Ki-kun... I don't know where she is."

"Can we go look for her?" the boy suggested.

"Well... We are supposed to visit Grandma and Grandpa Furusawa this weekend... I'm sure they'll help us find her."

"I-I'm scared, Dad... Why would Mom run away from home?"

'Run away from home.' Was that how the boy internalized it? "I miss her, too, Ki-kun. But she'll come back when she's ready. I'm... I'm sure..."

"She's missing... Can we call the police...?"

He reached across the table and patted the boy on his head. "Time. She needs more time. We'll be okay. Come on, Kichirou... It's past bath time!"

Yosuke finished the nightly ritual of bathing with his son and putting him to bed. He planned to retire early himself, but just stood in the doorway to the master bedroom and stared at the bed. He hadn't made the bed since she'd left. And... it was... He couldn't handle the loneliness of using that bed that smelled like her... so he returned to the living room and used the couch again.

However, he had trouble sleeping because his restless mind kept going back to her.

* * *

_They didn't end up going to the movies on their first date because he wanted to get to know her better. You couldn't talk during a movie, and they were still very far from the 'make out at the back of the theater' stage, so he took her to the cafe and they talked over coffee._

_Michiko-san was just a year younger than he was, nineteen, and almost fresh out of high school. She didn't have any plans for college; her family was pushing her to become an accountant like her older brother, but despite getting accepted into a nearby college for the upcoming term, she had no interest in that._

_Yosuke was going to college too, actually, with the help of his parents to get a business degree. He was also taking a lot of music theory electives on the side to have something to counterbalance his relative disinterest in following his dad's footsteps._

_To his surprise, she asked him about the music, and it turned out she liked Kanamin and from there they determined they generally had the same tastes, although she preferred Kanamin's older music to her current offering. He respectfully disagreed._

_They left the cafe together and she held his hand, though she seemed a little embarrassed by it. He figured that the kiss she'd given him at the food court had probably been the craziest, most impulsive thing she'd ever done in her life. If she let him, he'd help break her out of her shell. He'd at least take her for a spin on his motorcycle._

_They were standing together, hand-in-hand, watching some birds play in the water fountain when they were accosted by Michiko-san's domineering friend. "Micchan, is that you!? Who are you—oh!"_

_"Akari-chan," Michiko-san whispered. Her fingernails dug into Yosuke's hand, betraying her nervousness at the encounter._

_"What are you doing with that Junes dork?"_

_"I'm not a—" Yosuke began, but Michiko-san tugged on his hand and stepped forward. _

_"Akari-chan, this is my boyfriend," Michiko-san announced._

_Yosuke's eyes widened maybe as much as Akari's. They hadn't made it official yet...!_

_"O-oh!" Akari looked troubled. Then she said, "You shouldn't feel like you have to go out with him just because he bought you a cheap dress!"_

_"It's not cheap," Michiko defended. "I checked. And Yosuke-kun is much nicer than any of the boys you've tried to set me up with! I like him."_

_Yosuke blinked at her, because she was really fired up, much less demure than she'd previously been. He could only think that she really meant what she was saying._

_"Micchan!" Akari squeaked. "What makes this guy so different?"_

* * *

It had taken some time for Yosuke to win Akari-chan over, but when he had, they'd become fairly good friends. They'd even gone on double dates with her and her boyfriend. Shortly after, though, she'd moved away for college, and, over the years, communication with her had become infrequent. It was really unfortunate—Yosuke couldn't expect her to know where Michiko was.

Yosuke sighed and rolled over on the couch.


	6. Chapter 6

The Furusawa family lived on the other side of town, just a bus ride away.

Yosuke was dreading this visit. He got along fairly well with his in-laws, but he'd never really interacted with them without Michiko, and with the situation as it was, they might have already decided to side with their daughter. He was prepared to leave with Kichirou if it turned into an argument. 'Never raise your voice around your kids,' was advice he'd been given long ago by someone—was it his own mother? He didn't remember, but he'd taken it to heart. If he could help it, the boy wouldn't be allowed to see a fight.

The Furusawa residence was larger than the Hanamura's, but not by much. The main difference was that it had a guest room; at the Hanamura house, guests had to spread the spare futon out in the living room and stay the night camped out there. So maybe the Hanamura house was a little cramped, but with only three of them living there—two, now—it wasn't much of a problem. Yosuke had never seen the need to upsize; the house was within walking distance of both the Junes that he worked at and Kichirou's school, so it was perfect.

Mr. Furusawa greeted them at the entryway with a formal bow. Nothing betrayed his deeper emotions; he'd always been stoic like that, just like he always wore a suit even on the weekends. After Yosuke and Kichirou removed their shoes and put on indoor slippers, he led them into the main living area.

Their home was a traditional-style house with tatami mats on the floor and wood and paper sliding doors partitioning the living areas. It never felt like a very lived-in home because it was too clean. Mrs. Furusawa probably swept and dusted daily. Yosuke was always afraid of dirtying up the place.

Mrs. Furusawa was waiting for them in the living room. They joined her, taking their regular spots at the tea table, and she served them tea. Mr. Furusawa asked Yosuke about his job and he gave a non-answer, and then the older man began to talk about his own job. Mr. Furusawa still had some years to retirement and worked as a public accountant. His wife stayed home watching soaps most of the day, or going out with her girlfriends, or at least that's the impression Yosuke always had.

As the man continued to talk, though, Yosuke began to feel a sense of unease. That empty spot next to him where Michiko should be was too distracting. Even Kichirou, normally well-behaved, kept shifting on his cushion. Yosuke set his hand on the boy's arm under the table to try and calm him down, but Kichirou eventually interrupted to ask to use the toilet. Mrs. Furusawa nodded at him and he left the room.

Yosuke thought they'd use this opportunity to discuss his missing wife, but instead the Furusawas began to talk about her two older brothers and their families instead. Yes, both of Michiko's brothers were happily married and in fact one of the them had an expectant wife.

"I wish them all the best," Yosuke responded politely. "I'm sure Micchan does, too." It was an attempt to bring Michiko up in the conversation, but it seemed like the Furusawas were determined not to talk about her. They went on and on about what the parents were thinking of naming the new baby.

...Were they suggesting that having another child would have kept Michiko with him? He almost laughed at how ridiculous that idea was. Kichirou was enough for both of them, honestly, and he was as low-maintenance as kids could get!

He endured the talk for a little longer until he realized Kichirou was taking too long to return. He excused himself to look after him and found that the toilet room was empty. He called for the boy and didn't receive an answer. He started checking nearby rooms, trying to swallow his rising worry. One time Kichirou had hidden in a closet before and it had taken them a half an hour to find him. Damn Souji for teaching him how to be quiet like that, haha...

He found Kichirou sitting on the tatami mat in the center of the guest room where they sometimes stayed the night. The boy had his arms wrapped around his knees and his lower lip was quivering. Yosuke joined him on the floor. "Hey," Yosuke said quietly.

"...I can't find Mom," the boy mumbled. He wiped his misty eyes, but held in his tears.

Yosuke sighed and put his arm around Kichirou. "I know. I know... Do you want to go home?"

Kichirou nodded. Yosuke stood up, then helped the boy up and held his hand as they returned to the living room. "Kichirou isn't feeling well," he told the Furusawas. "I'm sorry, we won't be able to stay for dinner."

Mrs. Furusawa made a disappointed sound and Mr. Furusawa frowned, but they were able to escape without hurting the grandparents' feelings too much. Yosuke promised they'd visit again next month, no problem.

The bus ride home was endured in silence. Once they were back home, Yosuke watched with sadness that threatened to swallow him up as Kichirou wandered around the place as if looking for his mother. His little duckling... The boy eventually gave up and returned to his room, but it took him some time to turn on the TV and even longer to start playing a game.

Yosuke sat on the couch and began to stare off into space. It was going to take time, a lot of time, for Kichirou to accept that his mom was gone. He hoped the boy wouldn't have too many sleepless nights. As for himself, it wasn't a happy future, but he'd keep going, if only for his boy's sake.

* * *

Yosuke was doing the after-dinner dishes. They'd had Chinese from the takeout place down the road. They were running out of food, really—he would have to go shopping soon; they couldn't have takeout every night. Kichirou had returned to his room to continue his video game. He'd had to pause it during dinner since he hadn't reached a save point yet.

He had just finished scrubbing out the bottom of a cup—man, juice stains really set in, didn't they?—when the front door swung open.

No one else had a key to the house, so it had to be...

"Micchan!?"

Michiko walked in with a duffel bag over her shoulder. She paused in the kitchen doorway, noticing him there. Oh man, she was as beautiful as always—light-colored lipstick highlighting her full, but pursed, lips; her long black hair held back by a red ribbon. She wore a dark dress; Yosuke couldn't exactly see what color it was in the kitchen's poor lighting, but it wasn't one he recognized. And heels, too. She didn't wear heels often. They shone a devilish red in the pale light.

He stepped towards her, a dishwashing sponge still in his hand.

Her eyes held uncertainty, but when she spied him, they narrowed. "Yosuke," she said flatly. "Don't talk. I'm just here for my things."

"Micchan!" Yosuke protested. "We have to talk! Wha-what's going on? Wh-why are you...? What can I do? Tell me what I did wrong! I'll change, I'll—" He was so desperate he was babbling... but dammit, couldn't she see how important she was?

Michiko was shaking her head. "It's not all about you, Yosuke. It's this little bubble of a world that we live in." She looked around the room, the familiar realm of her kitchen, and her lovely face contorted into a scowl. "I can't stand it anymore."

"But... but think of what you have here," Yosuke tried. "We have a home, we have money saved up, a beautiful son... Our life is stable, safe... And I would do anything for you, you know that!"

"M-mom...?" asked a small voice from the hallway.

They both turned their heads. Kichirou had come out from his room and was staring at the two of them with wide eyes. "Mom... You're really leaving?"

She stared at the boy, unable to hide some regret from showing on her face. "Kicchan... Come here." She bent low on the ground and opened her arms wide.

"No!" Yosuke shouted, but Kichirou had already obediently moved into his mother's embrace. W-was he going to lose Kichirou!?

Michiko stroked Kichirou's hair, but then let him go. "Be a good boy. Take care of your father." Then she stood up and strode to the master bedroom with the duffel bag, presumably to take whatever she'd come for.

Kichirou was standing there where his mom had hugged him, completely stunned. It twisted the knife further in Yosuke's heart. He went to the boy and wrapped his arms around him and cooed softly in his ear.

It didn't take Michiko long, but the duffel bag was now full to bursting. She'd probably taken her favorite clothes and all the jewelry. Enough, perhaps, so that she could live on her own. Or to please whatever boy toy she was leaving him for...

She glanced at the two of them, her eyes lingering on her son, and then left the house before Yosuke could stop her without so much as a goodbye.

After staring at the front door for several minutes, Kichirou asked, "Why, Dad...? Why did Mom..."

"I don't know, son..." Yosuke whispered. "I don't know."

His mind whirled. Another man. Yeah, it had to be another man. She was in love with someone else, had fallen out of love with him—or... or had she ever loved him? He didn't know anymore. Maybe she'd married him just to take her away from her own family. They'd built this world together with their son. How could she not appreciate the sacrifices he'd made—they'd both made—to build it?

He squeezed his eyes shut. He was a fool, wasn't he, to think someone would love him.

He spent several minutes calming himself with the steady breathing techniques he'd honed over the years. Yeah, so Michiko was gone, okay.

He still had his beloved son. Now the problem was simple: Was Yosuke enough for Kichirou? The way the boy was staring off into space, he worried that he wasn't.

He called Souji not long after. What else could he do? He'd moved to the couch, where he kept Kichirou in his lap, petting him on the head to try to comfort him. He knew his son shouldn't hear what he was going to tell Souji—he was Dad, he was supposed to be invincible, he wasn't supposed to need to phone a friend—but dammit he really needed to talk to someone, and who better than the old Investigation Team's leader?

"Part—ner?" he said when the phone picked up. His voice cracked on the word.

"Yosuke?" Souji didn't ask how he was. Maybe he had a sixth sense and knew something was wrong.

"Uncle Seta?" Kichirou whispered upon hearing his tinny voice on the cell, perking up somewhat.

"Oh, is Kicchan there, too? You can put me on speaker phone if you want," Souji offered.

Yosuke opened and closed his mouth and then looked at his son. He brushed away some hair out of the boy's face. "Do you want to go to bed, Ki-kun?"

A long moment passed before Kichirou slowly shook his head. "I wanna stay... Uncle Seta..."

Yosuke pressed the speaker phone button, then gritted his teeth and got to the point. "Souji. Michiko came home... just to visit. She's gone now. She's really leaving us."

"Leaving both of you...?" Souji asked, but he answered his own question. "Yes, you have Kicchan with you, so..."

"I'm scared, partner. Damn, I'm sorry, I don't know why I called. There's nothing you can do about it... It's just..."

"Ehh," said Souji. "I can't really tell you 'it's going to be all right,' but... And I don't have any good advice. Just... Stay strong, all right? Both of you."

"I thought for a moment that she was going to take Kichirou from me." Yosuke squeezed his son and rested his chin on the boy's head. "Without him, I'd... I'd just fall apart, hell, I'm falling apart anyway." His voice was cracking again, he couldn't help it.

"Dad..."

"Kicchan!" Souji shouted. "Give your dad a hug right now!"

"He's already hugging me, Uncle Seta!"

"Good, you're a good boy, Kicchan," Souji told him. "Let's talk some more, hmm? You love your dad, yeah? And your dad loves you." Yosuke confirmed it with a murmur and by kissing the boy's head. "And you know, I love you, too. I'm sorry I can't be there with you right now."

"I-it's okay," the boy replied. "I know you live far..."

"And your mom," Souji continued, "loves you too. She's going to be some time away from you both. You're going to miss her. Your dad's going to miss her. He's going to need you. Can you be there for him?"

"Yeah, Uncle Seta." Kichirou looked up into Yosuke's face and smiled sadly.

"And your Dad'll be there for you, too!"

"That's right, Ki-kun!" Yosuke chipped in. Then he sighed. "Yeah, I wanna believe that we're gonna be okay. But... partner, I think we're still in shock..."

"Hey, that's normal. It's hard. It hurts. I mean, I've never been married, but I've been dumped before." Souji laughed humorlessly. "When someone you love hurts you... It's gonna take some time, but you'll recover. It's not easy to hear now, but..."

Yosuke sighed. "Yeah. I know. Souji... Thanks, partner. I think I'll let you go. Kichirou, say goodnight?"

"Goodnight, Uncle Seta..."

"Goodnight, Kicchan! Remember what I told you, okay?"

Kichirou nodded sleepily in Yosuke's arms. Yosuke hung up and set his phone aside.

He spent the entire night there on the couch, just holding his son close.


	7. Chapter 7

When Yosuke woke up the next morning, he spent a long time watching his son sleeping in his arms. He couldn't believe Kichirou hadn't cried at all. He suspected the tears would come later, when it became fully apparent Michiko had left them.

He absently stroked the boy's back, which ended up waking him up.

Kichirou blinked up at him. "Dad...?"

"Sorry..." he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

The boy shifted in his arms, rousing into full wakefulness. "Dad..."

Yosuke tugged the boy's collar affectionately. "Look, we forgot to put pajamas on. We forgot to take a bath, too..."

"Dad... Why doesn't Mom love us?"

Yosuke froze, his fingers still clasped around the fabric of his son's collar. To be hit with a question like that so early in the morning...! "Ki-kun... Mom loves you." He fumbled for a way to explain it to an eight-year-old and came up short. "She just... needs to be away for a bit. Sometimes being away from someone lets you know how much you really love them."

Kichirou pondered his words. "Like Uncle Seta? He's been away for a while."

"Yeah, actually. Exactly like Uncle Seta! But Uncle Seta just lives far away. It's not like he's testing the limits of his love or anything..." Yosuke rambled on a little more, and the boy seemed soothed by his voice. "Let's get you changed, okay?"

With a sigh too heavy for a boy his age, Kichirou moved off the couch, and they went to his room. It was a Sunday, so he didn't have to wear a uniform. As it turned out, Kichirou's small collection of non-school clothes were organized in the same way the school uniforms were, just in a different drawer. Soon he was wearing a red collared shirt with the Featherman logo on the breast and navy shorts.

Yosuke needed to put on some fresh clothes himself, so he headed to the master bedroom, ignoring as best he could the unmade bed that seemed to be mocking him.

He was in the process of taking down a pair of pants from the closet when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kichirou was standing in the doorway and watching him. The boy backed away as soon as he realized he'd been spotted. "Oh, s-sorry, Dad!"

"What?" Yosuke called after him, but his son was already out of sight. He set the pair of pants down on the end of the unmade bed, then left the room. He found the boy standing just outside the door, looking embarrassed. "What?" he repeated.

"I just..." the boy began in a very quiet voice while staring down at his feet. "Just w-wanted to know where you were going, Dad."

"I gotta get changed, too," Yosuke told him. He tousled the boy's hair. "That's all. I'll be right out."

He was halfway done pulling on one pant leg when it dawned on him what his son had really meant. Kichirou, understandably, was afraid of letting Yosuke out of his sight.

He put that knowledge to the back of his mind, because thinking too hard about it right now would only bring him to tears, and finished getting changed. After that, he went into the kitchen and made a simple breakfast for the two of them.

"Hey, Ki-kun?" he asked when they were done eating. "Do you wanna go shopping with me? Umm, I'm just going to get some groceries because we don't have much left to eat. That was the last of our rice and our eggs, so... but I could drop you off at Hiroshi-kun's, if you'd like."

Kichirou only thought about it for a second. "I'll go with you, Dad."

Yeah, he probably shouldn't have expected any other answer.

They didn't go to Junes—Yosuke never wanted to be recognized on his day off and then get bothered. They usually went to a small grocery store just a couple of blocks down the street. When they got there, Yosuke realized he didn't really know what to buy. He never paid too much attention to what Michiko bought to feed the family with. It just wasn't his concern. Damn, maybe he really was a bad husband...

He stared at the variety of soy sauces available and tried to remember which brand they always got. The one with the hexagon logo was the cheap stuff, too salty... The coconut one sounded good... Well, he wasn't a chef. It was time once again to phone a friend.

"Yosuke? Everything okay?" Souji asked upon picking up.

"Sort of," Yosuke replied. "Have you got time? If you don't, it's not that important." He could probably just ask the old lady who ran the store for advice if he really needed to. He didn't think she would try to con him or anything. They'd been shopping here for years. In fact, she was probably going to ask where Michiko was when they got to the checkout counter.

"Yeah, I'm free. What's going on?"

"Got a new problem today. Well, I'm going to have to learn how to cook. That's not the problem. The problem is I need to learn how to shop, first. Like, what should a newbie chef who's just starting out get at the store?"

"Hmm... That's not going to be easy to answer," Souji said. "You're serious about this? Really going to learn how to cook?"

"Well, I'm going to have to become Mr. Mom, now." Yosuke emitted an awkward laugh to hide the pain. "Can't expect Ki-kun to learn how to cook!"

The boy looked up from his inspection of a bottle of yakisoba sauce at the sound of his name.

"Mm? Is Kicchan there?" Souji asked.

"Yeah, we're going shopping together."

"Tell him I said 'hi.'"

"Your uncle says 'hi,' Ki-kun."

Kichirou grinned. Then he moved closer, and Yosuke lowered the phone to his level so that he could say 'hi' back. Yosuke patted him on the head. He was a good kid, and Souji was a great friend to remember him like that.

"Anyway," Yosuke said, putting the phone back to his ear. "Could you build me up a shopping list? Well, you don't have to do it today. I realize it might take a while."

"Well, I can give you some simple things for now, and I'll email you a list later, how's that?"

"Perfect, partner."

Souji rattled off a list of ingredients needed to make a basic udon soup that they could have for dinner tonight. With that, their little shopping adventure wasn't a complete bust. "Now, Yosuke..." The man lowered his voice so that Yosuke had to listen very closely to hear him. "Are you really going to be okay? You can distract yourself pretty easily with this cooking idea, but..."

"U-umm... well... I'm more worried about my son than me right now. His summer break is soon. He'll be alone while I'm at work, you know..." He tried to speak quietly so that Kichirou wouldn't overhear, but he was never good at whispering. He walked down the aisle just a little bit away from the boy, leaving him with the currently-empty cart but still in his immediate sight.

"Mm, that's right." Souji sounded contemplative.

"My mom might be able to help out sometimes," Yosuke went on. "But it couldn't be too often, short of sending him over to their place for the whole break." The Hanamuras were still in Inaba, just a train ride away, so Kichirou wouldn't be too far if he had to leave the boy with his parents, but...

"I don't think you should do that," Souji told him. "It's bad for Kicchan to be alone, but also bad for you to be alone."

"Y-yeah..." Yosuke hadn't really thought about it, but Souji was right. Being completely alone in the house would be maddening. "I can probably afford to send him to a cram school, maybe."

"Well, you still have a few weeks," his friend pointed out. "It's not August yet. There's time to think about your options. I mean, it was just yesterday."

"Yeah..." he trailed off, having nothing else he really wanted to say in the middle of a grocery store. "Well, umm, I'm gonna let you go now. Thanks again, partner, you're the best."

"Take care of yourself!" his friend said before he hung up.

Yosuke smiled to himself for a moment. Souji was worried about him. He was glad for that. He had other friends, but Souji was the only one he'd trust to say more than 'I'm sorry' and not change the subject after. The only one he trusted to want the details to help, not to use them for gossip.

He returned to Kichirou and took him through the store, buying the bare essentials that Souji had suggested. At the register, the grocery lady did end up asking him about Michiko. He didn't really know what to say, but Kichirou spoke up. "Mom's gone."

"Gone?" The lady squinted at Yosuke for an explanation, but he pretended not to see while he moved items from the cart to the checkout counter.

"Gone," Kichirou confirmed with a nod. "But I still have Dad." He hugged Yosuke's leg, and Yosuke's heart almost broke again. He barely deserved such a wonderful kid... He kept his budding tears in check and paid for the groceries.

* * *

Cooking sucked. Last night's udon had gone over well, but today...

Yosuke tried. He really did! But even with Souji's emailed instructions—for he'd sent some of his 'anyone can make this!' recipes along with the ingredients list—Yosuke still managed to burn the pork. _Kakuni's easy! Just fry it until it's golden-brown._ But the pork was already orange-brown already... And Souji had suggested sardines as garnish, how gross was that? But without them the meal was missing something, that was for sure. He could tell already. Flavorless—or just an odd flavor. He hadn't bought the right soy sauce. He'd wanted to try that coconut soy sauce and it obviously didn't go that well with this cut of pork. Or maybe he didn't like coconut as much as he thought he did.

Shouldn't experiment until you've got the basics down, he thought with a sigh.

And he was tired from a long day of work and just wanted to eat. He didn't have the time to fail and try again, not when he had a hungry boy to feed, too!

Besides all that, he felt like a stranger in his own kitchen. This was Michiko's domain. He mostly only knew where the cups, utensils, and the snacks were kept, so he was learning all that, too. He'd spent over ten minutes searching the cabinets for the small cooking pots, only to find out they were in a drawer built into the stove. He'd had no idea that the stove even had a drawer.

"Hey, Dad, I was—umm..."

Yosuke blinked at Kichirou in the doorway. The boy was staring at something? He followed his gaze to his hand. Oh, he'd crushed the aluminum can of Cielo Mist he'd been holding and the lime soda was dripping through his fingers.

"It's all right," Yosuke declared, throwing the can in the trash and washing his hands. "I didn't cut myself or anything. Don't worry."

"Um, okay, Dad..." The boy's eyes were large with concern.

Yosuke dried his hand on a towel and maybe he'd lied because his index finger was stinging a little. Man, he needed to be careful in the future. This absent-mindedness wasn't good for him. What if he'd started a fire from leaving the stove on or something?

Oh crap!

He frantically checked the stove and it was definitely off already, though the oil in the wok was still bubbling. He sighed in relief and realized his son was still watching him. "Uh, dinner's almost ready, Ki-kun. Hey, what were you trying to tell me, anyway?"

"I'm done with my math homework. Can you check it?"

Yosuke told him he would after dinner, and then found the plates and served the meal, for what it was worth. He asked Kichirou how it was and the boy told him it wasn't very good. Oh well, at least he was honest. Yosuke agreed, anyway, so they had a nice laugh about it. "I'll get better, or we'll both lose our taste-buds! Or maybe you'll go over to Hiroshi-kun's more often, huh?"

"His mom makes the best curry!" Kichirou declared.

The conversation died there because it reminded them both that Hiroshi-kun still had a mom.

* * *

[AN: Yosuke made his own brand of Mystery Food X. Again.

Thanks XrosaryX and random anonymous Guest for leaving reviews!]


	8. Chapter 8

Yosuke survived another week without Michiko.

'Survived' was the proper word for it, because it had definitely felt like a struggle. All week he'd kept a figurative mask on, pretending that everything was okay, because he hadn't wanted to tell anyone at work what was going on, and he couldn't let his son see the depression beginning to take its toll on him. If it wasn't for Kichirou, he might not bother going to work or even waking up in the morning. If it wasn't for Kichirou, he might just stagnate until he was living in his own filth.

Although getting used to this new role as 'Mr. Mom' hadn't been that difficult as of yet, the house was starting to get dirty, and even with his son around, he wasn't sure he'd be motivated to clean on his next day off. Maybe Kichirou would help him. But he didn't want to turn the boy into another Nanako-chan...

He was thinking about how he probably needed to do the dishes tonight when he unlocked the front door and realized something was different at home.

He couldn't quite place it, but... He could hear his son in his room laughing and playing a video game. That sound cheered him a little. If his son could laugh even without his mom, he was doing okay... Hiroshi-kun had to be over again. It made him glad that Ki-kun had such a good friend.

He went into the kitchen and frowned at the empty plastic bags he found on the counter. They weren't from Junes... Satomi Tadashi? That was the name of the drugstore down the road. Maybe Kichirou had brought something home from school. A science project or something.

Yosuke opened the fridge to get a soda and found it full of stuff he was sure he didn't buy, even with his recent experiments in cooking. Stuff Michiko wouldn't buy, either. Tofu bricks (yuck! He wrinkled his nose instinctively), a big container of wasabi, and... a box of worms? What the hell? And also a lot of snack boxes with a panda logo. He frowned at it all uncomprehendingly.

"You didn't buy anything I told you to," a dry voice complained behind him, "so I had to do some shopping."

Yosuke whirled in place and then his legs gave out on him from surprise. He flailed to catch himself as he fell, but strong hands grabbed him and pulled him back to his feet. "S-Souji!?" he gasped. "What the hell, man..."

"Sorry, Yosuke!" his best friend said. "I didn't mean to scare you, but I guess it couldn't be helped, since I was already in your house and all. It would be a surprise no matter what." Souji let go of Yosuke sheepishly after ensuring he could stay upright.

"Souji... What, what are you doing here, partner?" Yosuke asked weakly. Damn, he'd almost wet himself!

Souji spread his hands in a shrug. "Kicchan let me in."

"That's not what I meant! Don't you live on the other end of Japan?"

"Well, I don't really live any particular place, so... I was in the area so I thought I'd stop by." Souji shrugged again, completely nonchalant.

'I was in the area.' Bullshit. But Yosuke wasn't going to complain. In fact, he tackled Souji in a sudden hug, squeezing him very tightly as if testing that his friend was really there. "Damn, partner, I missed you."

Souji patted his back. "It's been a year, right? Too long, really. That's my fault. I'm sorry. I should've come to visit more often."

"I should've invited you more often," Yosuke murmured. He sighed and let go of Souji. "Come on, let's go in the living room and catch up, huh?"

"Aaaactually," Souji drawled. "I was planning to cook you guys a good meal. Kicchan tells me you haven't been eating much." The man eyed him critically. "I think you've lost weight."

"Maybe I've been working out," Yosuke suggested. When Souji's look remained flat, he sighed and said, "Yeah, I haven't been very hungry, what with everything. And my cooking leaves something to be desired, I'll admit that."

"We'll talk later—go watch Kicchan for a bit while I cook, okay?"

"Y-yeah... Okay, partner..."

Still dazed, Yosuke slowly made his way to his son's room. Kichirou looked up from his video game and grinned at him. "You're happy, right Dad?" He paused the game and put the controller down.

Yosuke sat on the boy's futon and put his arm around his son. "Yeah, Ki-kun. I'm... yeah." He couldn't even put it into words.

"I'm happy, too," Kichirou said, leaning his head against his dad. Yosuke tousled his hair affectionately. "Uncle Seta is funny. He even played this game before!"

"Yeah, Uncle Seta is really funny." What the hell was Souji doing here? He was worried about them... It was barely over a week since Yosuke had even told him about Michiko, so he had to have dropped everything he was doing just to be here right now.

Well, he'd find out later, he supposed. Kichirou started playing the game again and Yosuke watched him. The boy spent the entire time having his party repeatedly defeat what appeared to be cyborg dinosaurs.

Some time later Souji came to the door and told them dinner was served. The three sat at the kitchen table and enjoyed the meal he'd prepared for them—yakisoba with ginger pork. Souji told them about his trip here. "It's been so long, I almost forgot where you lived!"

"Well, you could've called, partner," Yosuke said, somewhat reproachfully.

"But then it wouldn't have been a surprise. Ah, the look on Kicchan's face when he opened the door for me. It was great. Like Nanako-chan when I visited that summer without telling her or my uncle." Souji laughed. "Remember, you helped me plan that, Yosuke."

"Yeah, that had been pretty great," Yosuke admitted. "Ah, but Ki-kun doesn't know what we're talking about."

"It's okay, Dad," Kichirou said. "I know who Nanako-chan is. Uncle Seta is her big bro!"

"Huh?" Yosuke didn't remember Souji ever telling his son about her...

Souji looked a little guilty. "Aha, well... Yosuke, I've been calling every afternoon for a while now to make sure Kicchan isn't lonely while you're still at work. I told him a lot of stories. About when I was a kid, about when we went to school together, stuff like that."

"Is that so..." Yosuke murmured. "You really are like an uncle, aren't you?" He shook his head ruefully, but he was smiling.

Kichirou frowned and looked at the man in question. "You're not really my uncle?"

Souji smiled at him. "I'm not, but you can still call me that. I don't mind."

"But... I've always called you that!" The boy seemed torn.

"He's a better uncle than your real uncles, right?" Yosuke suggested. He was referring to Michiko's brothers. One was an accountant and the other a small claims lawyer. Neither ever seemed to remember the boy's name at family functions. It was quite rude.

"Mom said you were a bum," Kichirou added, still frowning.

"Hey!" Souji protested.

"Kichirou Hanamura!" Yosuke exclaimed, mortified.

"That's what she told me!" Kichirou defended, his face turning red. "She smiled, too, and said it was a joke."

Souji laughed and patted the boy on his head. "Well, she's not actually wrong! I guess I am kind of a bum. I was planning to stay the night here and I didn't even ask for permission." He gave Yosuke a helpless look.

"Dude, of course you can stay. We'll figure out where after dinner."

"Speaking of dinner, eat, eat!" Souji urged. "I know you like yakisoba, Kicchan! It's why I made it! If you don't eat it, it'll get cold!"

"Y-yes, sir!" Kichirou squeaked and picked up the chopsticks he had set down earlier.

"You too, Yosuke!" Souji ordered, and they stopped talking to appease the man by eating.

* * *

Souji did the dishes while Yosuke took a bath with his son. Instead of watching TV after, they shared stories with Souji until Yosuke decided it was time for his son to go to bed. Kichirou protested even while his mouth was open in a wide yawn.

Yosuke returned to the living room. "Damn, partner, I'm so glad you're here, you have no idea," he said while taking a seat on the couch.

Souji's gray eyes danced. "I might have an idea."

His friend was on the armchair the family usually reserved for guests. Souji hadn't changed that much in the intervening year. He wore simple clothes that suited him; a nice white dress shirt and black dress pants. The shirt was a little wrinkly, but he had been wearing it all day. It was hard to tell, but by the fit of his clothes, it looked like he was in shape, too. Yosuke couldn't imagine him not prepared to ruin a Shadow's day at a moment's notice, even if it had been over ten years since they last had to fight.

He had quit wearing his signature bowl cut not long after he'd left Inaba. 'A new place, a new look,' Yosuke remembered him saying. His prematurely-gray hair was smooth, not too long, and he still had bangs, but he'd trimmed them down to a length that allowed his eyebrows to be seen. It made him look—weird, to be honest. But that was Souji to a T.

Yosuke smiled at him. "So, calling every day, huh...?"

"You're not Dojima-san, I know," he said, "but Kicchan... he's not used to..."

"Mom being away, yeah," Yosuke finished quietly. "You wanna be Ki-kun's big bro, too? I'm not gonna complain, partner, haha..."

Souji had on a thoughtful expression. "Maybe... He's a good kid. It's going to be very hard for him. And for you."

"We survived our first week," Yosuke replied with a sigh. "Honestly, it hasn't been too bad... but I think I might be fooling myself into thinking she's just taking a vacation or something, and that she'll be back any day now. I hope I'm not doing Ki-kun a disservice by leading him to think the same way."

"As time goes on, he's going to want to know more."

"He already asked if Mom loves him..."

Souji's lips puckered in a frown and he drummed his fingers against the armchair's arm. "...How did you answer?"

"That she does, she just needs some time away from us..."

"That'll work for now, but... if she's really splitting from you, will she visit him? ...You need to tell me more about what happened. Hey... Hey!" Souji shouted and stood up because Yosuke couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Souji moved to his side on the couch and hesitated just a moment before putting his arms around him. "Hey, it's all right... If it's too early to talk about, if it hurts too much, hey, it's fine, Yosuke..."

"D-dammit, partner," Yosuke blubbered, soaking his friend's shirt.

"Tell me when you're ready. It doesn't have to be tonight. And... sometimes we all need a little cry, huh?"

"A little cry? You should see my bedsheets. They're so salty it's like I washed them in the ocean. Freaking hell..."

"Yosuke..."

"...You can let go now. I'm okay."

Souji released him, but stayed next to him on the couch, watching him with unmistakable concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Yosuke repeated. He wiped his eyes with his hands and sighed. "Look, she just left. Didn't say much. Took her jewelry and some pairs of shoes. Didn't... I didn't stop her when she walked out. Her mind was made up."

Souji made a contemplative sound. "The ball's in her court, then... You'll have to wait for her to contact you again on her own."

Yosuke stared at the vase of flowers on the small coffee table in front of him. The flowers were dried husks because he'd never watered them. The flowers had been for his wife—caring for them was something she always did.

"Honestly, Souji..." Yosuke stopped suddenly, and looked at the hallway. Then he stood up, moved to the hallway, and peered around the corner. "Kichirou has a habit of eavesdropping," he explained when he returned to the couch. He leaned closer to Souji, and with a voice barely above a whisper, asked, "Do you know why we named him 'Kichirou'?"

"'Lucky son,'" Souji murmured.

"Lucky parents..." Yosuke sighed. He wiped his face and looked at Souji. "I love him more than anything, really... Without him, I'd just die." He smiled without humor.

Souji put a hand on his arm. "Yosuke..."

"Do you remember how sudden the marriage was...?" Yosuke was still smiling.

Souji took some time in answering. "...Shotgun wedding?" he guessed.

"...Yeah." Yosuke leaned back against the couch and sighed again. A marriage necessitated by unplanned parenthood. They'd been careful, but... not careful enough, apparently.

"I suspected that," Souji admitted. "I didn't even know you'd had a girlfriend and suddenly you were married."

"...Yeah," Yosuke repeated. "We named him 'Kichirou' because we were young, you know. We weren't ready for the responsibility of having a kid. We both dropped everything to start a life together, and we were hoping it would work out. And it did, until now, I guess." He sighed, then looked at his friend. "Man, I'm so glad you're here..."

Souji chuckled. "Hmm? Changing the subject? Of course I can't let you and Kicchan suffer alone. What sort of friend would I be if I didn't support you? By the way, where should I sleep? I see there's a pillow and blanket already out here..." He fluffed up the pillow that was propped up against the couch's arm beside him.

"Ah, ah... W-well... I've been sleeping out here, actually..."

Souji's soft expression became puzzled. "But I know you have a bedroom."

"I can't—ah, I can't sleep very well in there. Ah, I mean... I'll manage. You can stay out here."

"The room reminds you of her too much?"

"Yeah, just... everything about it, really. The bed, the sheets, the walls, the curtains..."

"All right. I understand. You still have a spare futon, right? I'll stay out here with you."

Yosuke pulled out the spare futon from the hallway closet and dragged it over to the living room. Souji helped him push the TV and its stand closer to the wall to make room for it.

"Good thing you don't live in Inaba," Souji remarked, carefully pushing against the TV screen. His hand didn't go in. "Otherwise I wouldn't recommend keeping a TV this size!" It wasn't an expensively large TV, but it was one their whole bodies could easily fit through.

"Just an hour away was enough to get away from the TV World's influence," Yosuke said. "Apparently." He unrolled the futon between the table and the TV stand. "Eh, the blankets smell a bit from being in the closet for so long, but I think you can manage?"

Souji wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, it's all right. Besides, I can wash it all in the morning."

Yosuke didn't ask how long Souji planned to stay, in case it was just a few days. He'd love it if he could stay longer, especially since summer break was beginning soon and he still hadn't figured out what to do with Kichirou. Letting him hang out with his 'uncle' would be perfect.

After changing into cat-patterned pajamas he'd apparently brought from home, Souji settled into the futon. Yosuke didn't wear pajamas these days, just an undershirt and his boxers. He turned out the light and then got comfortable on the couch.

He couldn't stay quiet, though. Not with his best friend over after so long without seeing him. "This reminds me of the time I stayed over at your place that one night it snowed," Yosuke commented. "There wasn't much room for that spare futon in your room."

"Mm. My uncle was working late that night, yeah."

"I remember Nanako-chan wanted to join us and I told her 'no girls allowed!' and she got so upset. ...Man, I was such a jerk back then."

"Mm. I'm glad you're better with kids now." Souji yawned, and Yosuke could hear the sheets rustle as he stretched.

"It changes you," Yosuke went on. "Having a kid. Changes your whole focus on life."

"You think so?" his friend asked. He wasn't being sarcastic. Come to think of it, Souji didn't have any kids. He'd been engaged once, Yosuke knew that...

"Yeah. It's a miracle, really." Yosuke yawned this last bit, so it was probably hard to understand. "Well, goodnight, partner. We'll talk more tomorrow, huh?"

"Yep," Souji replied.

Yosuke closed his eyes and soon fell asleep to the soothing sounds of Souji's breathing.

* * *

[AN: Oh my, thanks for the too-kind reviews! They've really made my week!]


	9. Chapter 9

Yosuke woke up because he felt a presence move past the couch. Ah, it was Souji, up before him. Well, the man had always been an early riser, even back in the Inaba days. Yosuke stayed on the couch, listening to the sounds of life as Souji used the bathroom, then returned to the living room and unzipped his suitcase to pull out some fresh clothes. He changed right there in the living room, either not realizing or not caring that Yosuke was awake and watching.

Souji left the room, and soon Yosuke heard the kitchen sink run, and the rustle of plastic bags, and the familiar squeak-bang the trash can's lid made when it was opened and closed. It was surreal to have someone else moving about in the house. Yosuke almost didn't want to break the peace by getting up himself, but he needed to get ready for work. He dragged himself off the couch with a sigh and went to his bedroom to get today's suit out of the closet and get changed.

When he finally entered the kitchen, he found that Souji had made miso soup for breakfast. "Good morning, Yosuke," his friend greeted, looking and sounding cheerful despite the earliness of the day.

"Y-yeah, good morning, partner..." Yosuke stared at the soup cooking in the pot. The smell was making his mouth water. He'd made miso soup himself dozens of times, but he knew Souji would have made the perfect soup. Hell, even the rice was looking much fluffier than he'd ever been able to make. He relished eating it.

Souji gently pushed him out of the way and stirred the pot, tasting it with a spoon. Apparently it passed the test, because he took out a ladle and dished it up.

"You didn't have to cook for me," Yosuke murmured after the man asked him to sit at the table.

"Mm? I wanted to. But there are some house rules." Souji was looking at him pointedly.

Yosuke was confused.

Souji shook his finger at him. "If I'm going to cook it, you've got to eat at least half of what I serve. No starving yourself, okay?"

"I wasn't starving myself," Yosuke muttered. "Just... wasn't hungry..."

"You were always so skinny, Yosuke." Souji sighed like it was a war he would never win. "You know why I used to invite you to lunch more than everyone else? That's why."

They'd barely been awake for half an hour and they were already talking about Inaba. Well, it was the most defining part of their friendship, after all. "And here I thought it was because you liked my charming wit."

"What wit?" Souji asked. "Better yet—what charm?" He laughed and Yosuke flicked some rice at him.

There was some silence while they ate. Damn, the miso was excellent. He'd have to get Souji's recipe before he went home. Hmm, just how long did the man plan to be here? "Souji, what are you doing here, anyway? Don't you have a job or something?"

Souji's eyes turned downward for a fraction of a second, then returned to catch Yosuke's. He shrugged. "I have a lot of time off stored up. I deserve a break."

"What do you do? I'm sure I've asked before." Yosuke frowned to himself. He couldn't remember ever receiving an answer. Souji had earned a degree in education, of all things, but never ended up teaching, as far as he was aware.

"Paranormal investigation," Souji declared.

Yosuke was glad he wasn't eating or drinking anything at that moment, because he would've coughed it all out. "What?"

"No wonder Michiko-san thinks I'm a bum, huh?" Souji laughed again, probably at the memory of Kichirou calling him that.

"That is totally not a real job! Wait, you told Michiko that? But you never told me?"

"W-well, umm..." Souji stirred up his rice with his chopsticks. "You know it's just code for... you know, looking into Shadow activity."

"Oh!" Yosuke had been imagining Souji as one of those scam artist 'ghost hunters' that were sometimes talked about on TV. Using filters on cameras to make shadows in the hallway look like otherworldly spirits... "Duh. What the hell was I thinking?"

"So, yeah." Souji nodded. "I can take a break from that, no problem."

"Wait, you ever find anything? I thought the TV World was peaceful after..."

"Mm, well, turns out there are Shadows in other places, sometimes. Don't worry about it, though. Like I said, I'm taking a break."

Yosuke leaned forward excitedly, and his music-note patterned tie almost fell into his soup bowl. He tucked it away. "Damn, now I'm really curious! When did you start this? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Hey, I would've recruited you if it wasn't for the fact you're married and have a kid. Speaking of kids," Souji said, changing the subject with grace, "when does Kicchan need to get up for school? And when's he supposed to get home for the day?"

Yosuke checked the stove's clock and sighed. "Yeah, it's about time to get him up. I'll go ahead and do that, and... Hey, do you want to walk him to school today? I've been doing it, got my schedule changed at work just so I can, but he'll probably want to hang out with you. He can have Dad anytime, you know."

"You were able to get your schedule changed?" Souji asked, surprise evident on his face.

"Y-yeah..." Yosuke scratched the back of his head and didn't mention how unhappy his boss had been, or how he had been pressured to have his kid wake himself up in the morning and go to school on his own. A few days when his wife had been 'sick' had been excusable, but a permanent change was not.

Souji rubbed his chin in thought. "Why don't we both walk him, hmm?"

* * *

That evening after dinner—Souji cooked again, Yosuke really had to do something to make it up to him—Kichirou asked to be allowed to do his homework at the living room table so that he could hang out with the two adults instead of being sequestered in his room. Yosuke picked up the vase of dead flowers and emptied them into the kitchen's trash can and left the vase on the counter. With that out of the way, there was more room on the tea table for the boy to work.

Yosuke kept the TV off, knowing it would distract his son, but he might as well have put something on because he knew talking with Souji would be just as distracting. Probably more so, actually... Yosuke tried to read a music magazine until Kichirou was done.

The silence lasted only a few minutes before his friend noticed the title of his magazine and asked if he was continuing any of his old hobbies. "You're still into music, yeah? You haven't sent me a sample of anything recently."

"Ah, well." Yosuke scratched his neck. "I haven't really touched that in a while. The computer's in the cabinet over there, you know." He waved his hand vaguely in its direction. Then he pressed the big toe of his foot into Kichirou's back, because the boy had stopped working to look up at him curiously.

Souji drew a finger over the cabinet's doors and noted with obvious distaste the dust accumulated on it. Then he opened it, revealing an old—reliable, Yosuke would claim; he had a difficult time replacing electronics—desktop computer with a dusty LCD monitor. He went into the kitchen to get a damp sponge to wipe the dust off with, then proceeded to clean the desk area and keyboard as well. Finally, he found the switch and turned on the computer and invited Yosuke to take the seat.

"I dunno, man." Yosuke hadn't been in the mood to do much of anything creative. He used to enjoy playing with music-making programs, creating original synth-based tracks or remixes. He used to send samples to Souji, even though the guy wouldn't know good music if a Stradivarius landed on his head.

With a resigned sigh, Yosuke took the chair and swiveled it towards the computer. He opened his hobby folder on the desktop. Souji watched over his shoulder, making him more than a little self-conscious. He remembered that he'd made a new track before Michiko left that he hadn't shown Souji. He reached down and unrolled the headphones—they were wrapped in their own cord—and put them on Souji's head. His friend looked confused until Yosuke played the track for him.

"Oh!" Souji exclaimed. "It's the main theme to Endless Dreamer!"

Oh, right, Kichirou mentioned that he'd had played that video game before... In fact, the boy was looking at them both, wondering what they were doing.

"Mm, this is good, Yosuke! You've got, umm, that feel, you know, that the story is building up and..." Souji shut himself up as a dreamy look stole over his face.

"You really like that game, huh?" Yosuke asked after the song had played and the man returned the headphones to him.

Souji looked a little embarrassed. "It's a good story. I mean, it's silly at times—"

"There's a space dog," Yosuke agreed.

"I like the space dog!" Kichirou protested. "He's the best character!"

"—but it pulls itself together in the end, and..." The dreamy look faded and Souji stared at Yosuke. "You haven't seen the ending yet, have you?"

"I don't even know the main character's name. I've only seen a little bit of the game, whatever Ki-kun is playing when I watch."

"Oh, you haven't played it yourself," Souji mused. "Oh, well."

"Man, I never tagged you as the nerdy RPG-player type, Souji. Wait 'til I tell Rise."

Souji huffed. "You're the one making remixes of the music. Well, I'll make sure you're there when Kicchan gets to the ending. You'll understand, then! Right, Kicchan? It's a good game!"

The boy nodded his head vigorously. "I like it! I wish I was playing it now, instead of homework." He looked mournfully down at the worksheet in front of him.

Yosuke handed Souji the headphones again and prepared to have him listen to another track. He told him that this was the original version and he planned to remix it. "I got the soundtrack to that game, okay... I thought I could maybe interest Kichirou in music if I made it relevant to him."

"I do like music, Dad," Kichirou said. Yeah, Yosuke thought, but he didn't have the same love as dear old dad, as far as he knew.

…Or maybe he wasn't giving his son a chance. "Hey, Ki-kun, think you can take a break for a minute?"

What a silly question. The boy immediately stood up and walked over to him. "What's up, Dad?"

"Souji, give him the headphones. Uhh..." Yosuke looked at his friend still wearing them. By the glazed look on his face, Souji was concentrating on the music playing in them and hadn't heard a word. The way his eyes were unfocused reminded him of the times Souji would visit the mysterious place he called 'the Velvet Room' while they were in the TV World.

"Mm," Souji murmured when it was finished playing. "That theme always makes me sad."

"Yeah, I picked it out because it sounded, well, somber, I guess," Yosuke admitted. "I've never heard it in the game."

"It only plays twice," Souji told him. "When the hero's friend dies, and then later when he thinks he's all alone."

"The hero's friend dies? That's awful... Oh, damn, did you just spoil it for Ki-kun?" If there was one thing Yosuke knew, Kichirou hated being spoiled.

But Kichirou was nodding. "He knows," Souji said. "It happens within the first ten minutes of the game, so you don't get too much attachment to him, but, yeah. Still sad, right?"

"I didn't want him to die," Kichirou admitted. "He had a really big sword. I bet he was strong."

"Oh. Huh. Well, I felt like I related to this track when I heard it, so..." Yosuke gave Souji a half-hearted smile. "I dunno. Maybe I'll remix it. It'll be a challenge because I usually work with faster tracks, you know."

Souji nodded. "I think you should give it a whirl!"

"M-maybe I will," Yosuke said. "Anyway, Souji, give Ki-kun the headphones. I want him to listen to the overworld remix."

Souji carefully placed the headphones over the boy's ears and adjusted the earpieces to fit his head more comfortably. Kichirou smiled and then Yosuke played the file for him.

"Oh!" said the boy, his mouth wide open. "It _is_ the main theme!" He frowned. "But it sounds... different."

In a good way or a bad way? Yosuke wanted to ask. The game's main theme had been interesting to work with. When listening to the original version, he'd thought the highs weren't high enough, and the lows weren't low enough, so he'd kept that in mind in creating the remix. And he'd cut out many of the instruments, because he liked something more minimal, and added his own baseline. But he hoped he'd kept the same feel as the original. Souji apparently thought so, but Kichirou...

Kichirou's mouth started moving. He was humming to the theme. "Oh! That part! It's like the battle music!"

"Y-yeah, it felt like it fit there, but without the same tempo that, uhh..." Yosuke was embarrassed to talk about it, but Kichirou was listening to the music and not him, so he shut up.

"That was fun," Kichirou said when it was over. "You made this, Dad? It doesn't sound that much like in the game."

"That's the point," Yosuke explained. "To make it respect the original, but have its own sound. Uh, that might be hard to understand. I'll show you some examples. And yeah, I did make it."

"That's really cool, Dad!" Kichirou took the headphones off and handed them back to his father, who put them on the desk for now. He rested his hands on the back of the computer chair and stood on his tip-toes to look over his shoulder. "What else are you going to show me?"

Yosuke smiled easily at his son, but then he noticed Souji glancing with intent at the living room table. "Ah, why don't you go finish your homework while I go look for those examples?"

Kichirou looked crestfallen, but Souji placed his hands on the boy's shoulders and steered him back to the table before he could protest.

Yosuke turned his attention to the computer screen. He went through his different music folders, trying to come up ways to teach his son more about music in general.

He was glad Souji had mentioned his old hobby. He really hadn't worked on his music in a long time, and he hadn't considered trying to show his work to Kichirou beyond just a 'hey look it's a theme from your game!' At what age could someone appreciate music? He tried to remember when he became really interested in music. Middle school, yeah, when he had to ride the subway. He'd needed something to do on the ride. Getting lost in his music had been the perfect way to escape the boredom.

"Why don't you tell me about what you're learning, then?" Souji asked.

Yosuke glanced at the two. It seemed like his son was getting frustrated with his homework. Souji was sitting on the floor diagonally to the boy at the table, listening intently while he talked about the food chain in the ocean.

It was... It was nice, seeing Souji so interested like that. He was totally reverting to 'big bro' mode. Yosuke wondered if he acted like that with Nanako-chan now, even though she was a teenager. Probably. Souji really hadn't changed all that much...

He watched the two interact, feeling warm inside. He could look up music later—this moment was precious.


	10. Chapter 10

"What do you want to do this weekend?" Souji asked at the breakfast table.

The man had stayed with the Hanamuras for the entire week now, and he'd been the perfect house guest. Without being asked, he'd cleaned most of the house from top to bottom while Kichirou was in school and Yosuke was at work. He'd helped Kichirou with his homework after school and kept him company until Yosuke finally came home. And he'd cooked every night, despite Yosuke's protests that he was a guest.

But the best part about Souji, in Yosuke's mind, was that he didn't push. He didn't ask about Michiko. Instead, he and Yosuke spent every night reminiscing about the past, mostly about their time in Inaba. They weren't 'the good old days' or anything—so much had happened in that single year, both good and bad—but it made for easy conversation. In fact, when Yosuke tried to get Souji to talk about more recent and more personal stuff like his time in college or his 'paranormal investigations,' the man didn't seem to want to talk about any of it, so he eventually gave up trying.

It was easy to get used to having Souji around, despite his odd little quirks. He preferred to sit cross-legged on a cushion at the tea table, for example, rather than use the couch, but that could be because the couch was currently doubling as Yosuke's bed and Yosuke guessed that it could be a little weird to sit on it. But there was still a perfectly good armchair he could use... Souji had a habit of turning off lights in rooms when he thought nobody was in there, which led to Yosuke tripping over a chair in the kitchen in the unexpected darkness he found himself in one night. And Souji wouldn't let Yosuke do the dishes even though he'd already done the hard work—cooking. He'd also rearranged the books in the computer cabinet alphabetically a few days ago, then rearranged them the other day by publication date, and then _re-rearranged_ them again last night in some pattern Yosuke couldn't figure out. He hadn't asked.

This was going be the first weekend with Souji. Yosuke decided they should do something outside the house. "Maybe we could take Ki-kun to the park?" he suggested. "We used to go there with Micchan, sometimes. We'd ride bikes on the trail there." Actually, even further in the past, they used to take their son there in the stroller when he was just a baby.

"Will it remind you too much of her?" Souji asked, his voice low as if Kichirou, still sleeping in his room, might overhear.

"Probably not. It's been like a year. We stopped going because..." Yosuke scratched his chin. He didn't really remember why. "Anyway, it'll be fine. Just gotta hope the bikes don't have any flats."

He checked the bikes while Souji roused his son. Upon closer examination, one bike had a broken chain and the other indeed had a flat tire, and Michiko's bike was a bit girly for Souji to use, what with the big purple flowers painted on it—though knowing him, he probably wouldn't mind—so they just decided to walk instead.

It was the city's primary park, which made it a large one. It contained a fenced-in area for pet owners, a playground complete with slide, jungle gym, and monkey bars, a baseball field, and several walking and biking trails. An apartment company had tried to buy the greater park area a few years ago, but city residents raised an uproar and the idea had been halted, at least for now.

There were several other families around, one or two that Yosuke recognized enough to say 'hello' to when they passed by. Fortunately no one who expected to see Michiko with him.

"Hanamura!"

Or maybe he'd just jinxed himself with that thought... Yosuke cringed instinctively. It was the head of the menswear department at Junes. He glanced around for an escape route, but the slightly older man was already upon him. "Hello, Ieyasu-san," Yosuke greeted. "Nice day for a walk, huh?"

Ieyasu-san took in Yosuke's casual weekend appearance—a short-sleeved dress shirt, thin pants, and comfortable loafers; hey, it was summer, after all!—and Kichirou, who'd started holding his father's hand as soon as the stranger approached. "My, how your boy has grown. Mine's in middle school now. Time flies, huh?"

"It sure does," Yosuke replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. "Ki-kun, you've met Ieyasu-san before. Say hello." It had been at the company New Years party. He probably didn't remember.

"U-umm, hello, Ieyasu-san," Kichirou said obediently.

"My wife's taking the kid to the bathroom. She'll be back any second. Where's your lovely thing?"

"Ah, Micchan is... That is..." Yosuke floundered. He should have practiced an excuse before going out, he really should have...

"Darling~" a feminine voice declared. Ieyasu-san's wife and son had returned with fortunate timing. Yosuke noticed how she was dressed to dazzle, with heels, lots of makeup, and jewelry, even though the family was supposedly just going for a walk. Their boy looked well-groomed, too, with his black hair slicked back, and he was wearing a little suit, too. Just a few years older than Kichirou. The boy was eyeing Kichirou critically.

Looking at this perfect little family was making Yosuke sick. He swallowed noisily. "Dad?" Kichirou whispered up at him.

"W-well," Yosuke managed. "It was nice to see you, but we ought to get going... I'll probably see you at work..."

"Of course, of course! The store should be having its summer party soon. I can't wait to see your darling wife again." Ieyasu-san's eyes twinkled and his wife playfully batted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah... Come on, Ki-kun."

They walked further down the trail and Yosuke slowly began to relax and breathe again. "Are you okay, Dad?" Kichirou asked, looking up at him.

"I forgot that they always come to the park on Sundays." Yosuke sighed. "He works at Junes, too."

"I think you handled that well, considering," Souji said.

Yosuke looked at his friend. Souji had stood away when the conversation began, not wanting to get in the way, apparently. Fortunately, Ieyasu-san hadn't noticed him and asked for an introduction. But maybe Yosuke should have included his friend. Souji got along well with practically everyone. He would've been able to make the conversation bearable.

"He asked about Mom," Kichirou noted.

"Yeah, I haven't really told anyone at work that she's... It's private, you know? Have you told anyone at school?" Yosuke asked.

"Just Hiroshi-kun," Kichirou admitted. "His mom's been really nice to me."

"I should go talk to his parents, then," Yosuke muttered. "We're not super-close," he explained to Souji, "but they've always been great to Ki-kun."

Souji nodded. "If there's a teacher you trust, Kicchan, you can probably tell them, too. If you want to."

Kichirou considered it. "Okay."

"Private life has always been kind of, well, private to me," Yosuke commented. "People tell me weird stuff all the time at work and I always wonder why they would even tell someone."

Yosuke was going to have to tell people eventually, but... And he knew an assistant manager whose wife had left him, but that's because he was a chronic drunk. Yosuke didn't want to be equated with that...

"You don't have to be an open book," Souji told him. "The problem is when you take all your problems on yourself and it all adds up until you break down. Well, that's why I'm here, actually," he admitted. "Making sure you and Kicchan will make it through this."

"Thanks, partner," Yosuke said. "I really appreciate that you've come to visit us. I can't even put it into words."

Souji smiled. "It's really not a problem."

Yosuke returned the smile, and he felt better already.

The two adults sat together on a bench while they watched Kichirou play on the playground. Eventually, though, Kichirou stopped at the very top of the tower and waved at them. "Uncle Seta! Come play with me!" he shouted.

Souji glanced at Yosuke with a bemused smile, as if asking for permission. "Go ahead, partner," Yosuke told him.

Watching the two of them play brought back memories of Nanako-chan and the playground at the Junes in Inaba. He recalled the time they played hide-and-seek after she got out of the hospital. Naoto had (deviously) hidden in a refrigerator and given everyone a scare.

Souji caught Kichirou when he fell off the monkey bars. Then he carried him the rest of the way, with the boy still moving his hands across the bars as if he was carrying his own weight. By the laughter, they were both having a lot of fun.

Yosuke was so glad Souji was here. His son had needed this, the support of someone else, the support of another adult. Hell, Yosuke needed it, too. Having him a phone call away lost out to having him here in person, that's for sure.

"Daaad!"

He was being called. Yosuke shaded his eyes against the sun as it crawled out from behind a cloud and spotted Kichirou and Souji at the swings.

Kichirou cupped his mouth to holler at him. "Come here, Dad! Play on the swings with me!"

Yosuke dashed forward to join him, kicking up sand. Kichirou was already sitting on a swing, swaying just a little while waiting for him. Souji was standing next to him, lightly holding onto the swing's chain. "You want a push?" Yosuke asked.

Both Souji and Kichirou's eyes roved to the empty swing next to them. Yosuke sheepishly took the seat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been on a swing. Probably when Kichirou was half his age...

Souji gave Kichirou a small push, then rushed out of the way, and the boy giggled and started swinging. Yosuke followed suit. Wind swept through his hair, reminding him of his Persona's skills.

"I bet I can swing higher than you, Dad!"

Yosuke glanced at his son with a grin. "You're on!"

Kichirou laughed and swung harder.

They asked Souji be the judge, but he copped out by claiming it was too hard to tell—they were both moving too fast!

When they slowed down their swinging, Yosuke teased him about it. "No picking favorites, huh?"

Souji took hold of the swing's chain to steady it so that Kichirou could get down. "Kicchan miiiight have been a smidgeon higher," he claimed. His eyes were dancing. Along with that smug smile, it meant he was totally lying.

Yosuke shot him a look that said, 'Come on!'

"Was I really?" Kichirou asked, looking up at Souji.

Yosuke sighed softly. In the end, he didn't really care whether his friend had stretched the truth—the big smile on Kichirou's face when Souji tousled the boy's hair was so much more important.

* * *

[AN: Thanks Arc and reioth for reviewing! The next few chapters are planned to be super fluffy, please enjoy~]


	11. Chapter 11

Yosuke came home, visited the kitchen, and found that dinner wasn't being made. For a moment, he worried that Souji had decided to leave and go home without telling him. The apron that he always wore while cooking was folded up neatly on the kitchen table. There were some uncut vegetables sitting on the cutting board, but the man in question wasn't in sight and didn't seem to have made any other progress on a meal.

Yosuke wandered into Kichirou's room and breathed a sigh of relief: his friend was sitting there on the futon with his son. He really wanted the guy to stick around just a little longer. It was only the first week of Kichirou's summer break, after all.

"Ah!" Souji smiled when he noticed Yosuke's presence. "Kicchan's on the final boss! Watch it with us."

"Yeah, Dad!" Kichirou said without looking away from the television.

"Sure," Yosuke said. He sat cross-legged on the floor and leaned back, resting against the futon's frame.

The boss battle took half an hour, and then the ending cutscene another twenty minutes. This was the game Souji'd said he needed to see the ending to, right? The story made no sense to him, but he tried to act as excited as they were.

"I can't believe he was his brother the whole time!" Kichirou exclaimed during the credits roll.

"I know, right?" Souji said breathlessly, obviously pleased at the boy's reaction. "And how the princess was actually...!"

"Yeah!" Kichirou shouted.

"Yeah!" Souji agreed, his face beaming.

Yosuke snickered and then began to laugh.

Souji blinked at the sound and gave him a wounded look. "What's so funny?"

"You're acting half your age, and it's—sorry, it's just really amusing." Yosuke covered his mouth but chuckles kept coming out.

"You know, Yosuke," his friend said critically, "back in the day, you were the one playing video games all the time, and I was the one who didn't have time for them."

"Yeah, well, things change," Yosuke muttered.

"Would you go back if you could?" Souji asked quietly.

"No," Yosuke replied instantly.

"No," Souji echoed.

They stared at each other for a few moments, one man on the floor and one on the futon, an understanding passing between them. Over a decade had passed since that fateful year in Inaba, but neither of them were clinging to the past.

Kichirou, sitting between them, was confused by the exchange. "Uh, Dad?"

"Mm, anyway," said Souji, breaking the spell, "I suppose I should go back to being an adult, huh? Now, Yosuke, you might be wondering why there's no food. Well, partly it's because Kicchan was close to the end of the game and I wanted to watch, and partly because you wanted to learn to cook, right?"

"Oh, right." So used to having his friend cook now, Yosuke had almost forgotten all about that. "You're gonna start teaching me tonight? I mean, it's already getting late. We could order take—"

"Don't say it," Souji warned, shaking his finger at him.

"What, is that a bad word in Souji-land?"

Souji gave him a look as hard as granite. "Come along~" he sang, standing up from the futon. He led Yosuke into the kitchen, where he threw the apron at him and told him to put it on. Yosuke felt silly, especially when Souji went ahead and tied the apron's strings for him—he could do it himself, dammit; he worked at Junes after all!

Souji proceeded to tell him the first thing about cooking. "Make sure you have all the ingredients you need! The last thing you need is to make an emergency run to the grocery store, especially since you'll be doing your cooking at this time of night. And substitutions are something you'll pick up later. We're making ginger pork today, so obviously you'll need pork and ginger. Do we have that?"

Yosuke stared at him. "Uh, yeah, you've already got the package of pork sitting in the sink."

"Play along with me," Souji said. The way he stood there with one hand on his side gave Yosuke a flashback to high school all of a sudden. "Now, you're also going to need..."

He rattled off a list, but Yosuke only heard the first two ingredients. He had him repeat it a few times before finally writing it down on the magnetic notepad hanging on the refrigerator. With that in hand, he searched his cabinets and fridge for everything he needed and confirmed that indeed, everything was available.

"Now the meat I bought," Souji went on, "is the pre-sliced kind, so we don't have to worry about that, at least. Maybe next time I'll buy a block so I can teach you the best way to slice it yourself."

"Umm, how much did all this cost?" Yosuke asked. He peered at the meat package's label. "I'll front you for this, partner. I can't make you pay for my groceries."

Souji ran his index finger under his lower lip in thought. "Well, it's not a big deal. You're letting me stay here, after all. Maybe when we go shopping together, we'll split the cost."

Yosuke agreed, amused on some level at the idea of shopping with his friend. Knowing Souji, he probably had a systematic way in which he shopped for his groceries. Yosuke bet that he was the type to be really thrown off when a store moved its aisles around, or when a store changed brands.

The cooking went well—even Kichirou approved of the finished product—but Yosuke wasn't sure what his friend saw in the art. It had been fun, sure, but that was only because he had company. Maybe in the future, after Souji went home, he'd have Kichirou help him out when he cooked. It could be a father-son bonding experience. While they were cleaning up in the kitchen after dinner, he mentioned this to Souji, who told him it was a great idea. "Nanako-chan helped me all the time!"

"Yeah...? Yeah!"

"He might even like it," Souji added while wrapping the leftover pork in plastic wrap. "He wants to help you, too, any way he can. He loves you."

Yosuke felt parental pride well up within him, but then his smile faded. "How is he, Souji?" he asked quietly.

Souji opened the refrigerator and put the wrapped-up meat inside. "We looked over his summer homework today. I'm going to have him start working on it tomorrow. But if you mean how he's doing without Michiko-san... He hasn't said much beyond how much he misses her."

Yosuke didn't answer, not wanting to talk about it much himself.

Souji closed the refrigerator and sent Yosuke a pained look. "There was a problem today, actually. This morning I was sweeping the hallway, and Kicchan told me I wasn't doing it right. When I asked him why, he couldn't manage to explain it. He ended up getting so upset... I didn't mean to make him cry!"

"Wh-what happened?"

"Well, he calmed down after a bit. It turns out Michiko-san has a different way of doing some things, and that was one. I think it was a sudden reminder to him that she's really not living here anymore, and it overwhelmed him."

Yosuke glanced down at his feet. "Things like that are going to happen, I guess," he murmured.

"I'll try to be careful," Souji promised.

"Don't sweat it, man," Yosuke told him. "How were you supposed to know? It's totally all right. I'm sure Ki-kun knows you didn't mean it."

"Yeah," Souji said, somewhat wistfully. Yosuke could imagine it bothered him greatly that he'd accidentally made the boy cry. He shouldn't worry so much about it; honestly, both he and Kichirou were likely to cry at the drop of a hat at this point. Full acceptance of their Michiko-less life was still some ways away.

Yosuke began to fill the sink with hot water. He told Souji that he'd do the dishes. Souji protested, but Yosuke said it was something he was going to have to get used to, and his friend relented. "Go check on Ki-kun for me," Yosuke suggested, "and make sure he isn't getting into any trouble."

"He doesn't get into trouble," Souji reported with a lopsided smile. "Sometimes I wonder how he's your son."

"Come on, I was a good kid growing up!" Yosuke protested. "Maybe I didn't have the best grades or anything, but... And it's your fault we ever got into any trouble, you know, Mr. Head-in-the-TV."

"I wasn't the one who waved swords around at Junes and got us almost arrested," Souji pointed out, his smile now smug.

Yosuke ignored his words and shooed him out of the kitchen and then turned his attention to the sink.

The dishes were a chore that he didn't mind too much. The soap helped his fingernails get clean—sometimes they became dirty from working at Junes, especially if he was helping move things in the dusty stockroom, and a rinse wasn't always enough. The dishes also weren't a labor-intensive chore, unlike sweeping. The problem with it, though, was that it was systematic, meaning his mind did not need to be engaged—which allowed him time to think.

Kichirou had cried about Mom today... Yosuke needed to have a talk with him about her, a talk about why she was gone. But he didn't know why... so what could he say?

He soaked some soapy water into the sponge and squeezed it into the wok. Then he began to industrially scrub the wok out.

He still didn't know why, and that's what hurt the most. He thought about it every night while lying on the couch when he was supposed to be trying to sleep. He'd known she'd been unhappy. He couldn't deny that. Why she'd been unhappy was something he'd never been able to get out of her.

Not that he'd asked all that often. Maybe that was the problem.

He sighed over the sink, his hands entering the lukewarm water as he leaned into the counter.

"Hey, Yosuke? Kicchan says it's about time for his bath." Yosuke turned his head and saw Souji in the kitchen's doorway. "If you'd like, I can finish up here while you give him one."

Yosuke stared down at the soapy water. Bath time already? Well, they had eaten late, after all. "Yeah, sure," he said, stepping away from the sink and drying his hands with a paper towel.

He was halfway down the hall when Souji's voice called after him from the kitchen. "Don't forget to read to him, too!" Yosuke shook his head, unaware of the smile present on his face when he entered Kichirou's room.

* * *

[AN: Thanks for the reviews, Arc and ShadowCat444!

I hope you all like cooking scenes, haha...]


	12. Chapter 12 - Kichirou 2

"Kicchan, did you even taste that?" Uncle Seta teased.

Kichirou looked down guiltily at his plate. He'd reasoned that the faster he ate, the faster he could play, so he'd kind of inhaled the omelette.

"Your dad cooked that for you, Kicchan," Uncle Seta added.

Kichirou was surprised. Normally Dad only made toast or miso soup with rice for breakfast—something quick before he went to work. An egg dish was completely new.

Uncle Seta nodded. "If you liked it, you should thank him later. He'd be glad to hear it."

The boy promised that he would. Uncle Seta took the empty plate away from him and put it into the sink. Kichirou waited somewhat impatiently at the table for him to finish cleaning the morning dishes.

"What should you be doing right now, Kicchan?" Uncle Seta murmured without turning away from the sink.

His uncle must have sensed his restless fidgeting. He stopped immediately and emitted an overdrawn sigh. He didn't want to do his summer homework.

"Just one section of your workbook. That's all I want you to do." Uncle Seta turned halfway from the sink to turn his eye on him. "Can you do that for me?"

"All right," Kichirou said. After a short detour to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he reluctantly went into his room and sat at his desk. His workbook was already laid out before him. They'd looked it over yesterday, gauging how much work there was to do. A section a day, his uncle had decided, would be best to ensure that he'd finish it all before the summer break was over.

He finished the first page, a set of 'complete the sentence' exercises, and then he counted how many pages he had remaining to do today. Too many. He shifted restlessly in the desk chair. Why did his teachers give so much homework? He was never going to get to play.

He furtively glanced at his open door. Uncle Seta was away in another room. He took out his cell phone and sent a text message to his best friend and soon received a reply. Ah, Hiroshi had already completed this section! A few minutes later and Kichirou had all the answers.

With a triumphant smile, Kichirou closed his workbook. He went ahead and turned on his game console. While the game was starting up, he poked his head out of the doorway and called for his uncle to come play with him. Then he plopped down on his futon, picked up the controller, and got comfortable by setting a pillow under his back.

Soon Uncle Seta was in the doorway. "You're done already?" He was carrying a purple feather duster in his hand; he'd likely been cleaning.

"Well, yeah!" said Kichirou. "Let's race, Uncle Seta!"

"Let me check your workbook first," he said. He set the feather duster down on a nearby shelf and then walked in front of the TV and over to the desk. His back was to Kichirou while he looked over the work.

"Umm... okay." Kichirou picked up the second controller. "Who do you want to play as?"

Busy turning over pages in the workbook, Uncle Seta didn't answer. The man hummed in contemplation. "Kicchan, you didn't show any work for the math section."

"I did it all in my head," Kichirou lied.

"Your teacher is going to want to see some work. And I think..."

Uncle Seta turned away from the desk and gave him a hard look. Kichirou couldn't help it. He squirmed with guilt, squeezing the controller in his hands tightly.

Then Kichirou's cell phone on the desk buzzed with another message presumably from Hiroshi. Uncle Seta glanced over at it and read the message on the screen out loud to himself. "'Do you also need the answers to...'" The man gasped. "You cheated! Kicchan!"

"Uncle Seta!" the boy wailed. "I'll do the work later... I just wanna play!"

Uncle Seta set the workbook down and proceeded to wipe his face. "I thought you'd completed it too fast. Kichirou-kun, I really didn't expect this from you."

Kichirou bit his lower lip and tried not to cry, because the man's tone dripped with disappointment, and he'd never heard it from his uncle before, and it really hurt.

Uncle Seta moved over to him and knelt down until they were meeting eye to eye. "Kicchan," he said softly. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. But you should always put all your effort into it."

"I just w-wanted to play... with you..."

Uncle Seta patted his shoulder affectionately. "I know. And I promise we'll play later." He went back to the desk and pocketed Kichirou's cell phone. "But now I want you to do the next section—on your own!"

Kichirou swallowed noisily. "Y-yeah..."

"Good." Uncle Seta then gave him a hug, and Kichirou fell into it, his eyes starting to water. "It's all right," he said gently. "I'm not mad at you, Kicchan. I'm just a little sad. I understand why you did that, but that doesn't make it right."

"I won't... I won't do it again," Kichirou promised. Uncle Seta smiled down at him, then gently steered him to the desk.

* * *

While his uncle continued to do some cleaning around the house, Kichirou stared down at his workbook. He should've known better than to try and cheat like that. His mom wouldn't have let him get away with it, so why did he think Uncle Seta would?

He sighed and tried to focus. Thinking about his mom only made him sad. Uncle Seta didn't know why his mom was gone. He'd already tried asking...

He began to doodle in the margin of the workbook: a bunch of happy little animals, including a dog that might look like a certain space dog.

At this rate, he wasn't going to get any of the work done, and he'd disappoint Uncle Seta again. An idea occurred to him. He picked up the workbook and his pencil and walked into the living room. Uncle Seta was dusting out the computer cabinet. "Yes, Kicchan?" the man asked when he noticed him standing there.

"C-can I work on it in here with you?" he asked shyly.

The man blinked at him for a moment before smiling. "Of course!"

Kichirou set up at the tea table. He watched his uncle clean for a little while before finally settling down to do his own work. He solved a page of fill-in-the-blank vocabulary problems before arriving at a set of sentence comprehension questions.

"Uncle Seta? What does 'gregarious' mean?"

"Huh? Hmm... I forget." Uncle Seta's voice was muffled because he was cleaning behind the cabinet.

"The girl in the sentence has lots of friends because she's 'gregarious.' I guess it means she's friendly?"

Uncle Seta got out from behind the cabinet. His normally-clean shirt was streaked with dust. "This sounds like a job for Shinkai-san!" he declared. He began to search through the books on the bookshelf. "Now where did I put it...?"

Kichirou giggled, though he didn't mean to. Uncle Seta probably couldn't find the book he was looking for among all the others because he kept rearranging them. He could be really silly sometimes.

"Ah, there!" Uncle Seta pulled a red book down from the shelf. He moved to the tea table and sat right next to him. "Do you know how to use a dictionary, Kicchan?"

He didn't, so Uncle Seta showed him how. Once Kichirou had found what he needed, the man excused himself back to cleaning. Kichirou heard the sound of a squeeze-pump bottle as he sprayed cleaner on something.

With that done, Kichirou moved to the next section of the workbook: reader response. He had to read the story on the page and answer questions about it. Impulsively, Kichirou asked if Uncle Seta could read the story to him. It was his dad's job to read to him at bed time, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't want his uncle to read to him sometimes, too!

"Hmm, well." Uncle Seta's voice came from under the computer desk. "I need to get this done, but... why don't you read it aloud to me, hmm? I'm listening!"

Kichirou felt his face get all warm. He stuttered out the first sentence but grew more confident as he kept speaking. The story was about a woman who walked through a spider web and got scared that the spider might be on her. "She's silly," Kichirou remarked at the end. "We learned a few weeks ago that most spiders don't even bite."

"Good," Uncle Seta approved. "Now answer the questions."

Kichirou obediently filled out his responses, reading aloud his answers as he did so. After that came the math section, but it was easy stuff, just adding and subtracting different sets of four-digit numbers. It wasn't any different from two-digit numbers, really.

"I finished it!" he cried when he filled out the answer to the last problem on the page. He looked up at Uncle Seta, who had joined him at the tea table to take a break from cleaning. "Aren't you proud of me, Uncle Seta?"

Uncle Seta patted his back. "Yes, but more importantly, aren't you proud of yourself? You did the work! Look." He took out a paper clip from his pocket and proceeded to clip the finished pages in the workbook. He flapped the now-bound pages. "There's still a lot left, I'll admit that, but look how much progress you've made in one day. Aren't you happy about that?"

"Y-yeah," Kichirou admitted, smiling timidly at him.

"We'll do a little bit more tomorrow, and well, it'll all be done before you know it. And do you know the best part, Kicchan?"

"N-no," he answered.

"We still have all afternoon to play!"


	13. Chapter 13

Before Yosuke knew it, it was the third week of Kichirou's summer break.

Souji felt like a fixture in his house, he fit so well into their lives. Yosuke knew he wasn't trying to replace Michiko; instead, he was trying to act as a guide, to prepare them both for living without her. On some days he woke Yosuke up early, for example, to teach him how to cook different things for breakfast—"You can't have toast every day!"—and he continued to help him learn new dinner meals. He didn't do the laundry, but he helped Yosuke collect it and then fold it after it was done. Souji volunteered to iron Yosuke's clothes for him, but he refused because, really, when Souji went home he wasn't going to do it himself.

Souji seemed to have a minor obsession with order and cleanliness, possibly due to his upbringing. Every morning he was fluffing up Yosuke's pillow and settling his sheets on the couch until they were nice and neat. He folded up the spare futon, too, and helped Kichirou tuck in the sheets on his own futon. And he still wasn't satisfied with how the books were ordered on the bookshelf. Yosuke had never caught Souji in the act, but he was the only one who could possibly be rearranging the books every so often—Kichirou was too short to reach the top shelf.

Souji had taken them both aside one day to lecture them about the bathroom. "Towels belong on the towel rack. Not on the ground! If it falls, don't be lazy—hang it back up!" he admonished. "If you finish the toilet paper, don't forget to bring out a new roll. Are you two animals!?"

Whenever Yosuke came home from work, Kichirou would tell him all about his day, about what he and his 'Uncle Seta' had done while he was at work. These conversations were something new, something that had never occurred when Michiko had been present, Yosuke realized one day with great heartache. In the past, he'd never talked all that much with his son, taking it for granted that they were bonded as family. He'd never considered putting any effort into it, but with Souji's gentle direction, now they were truly bonding. Yosuke listened to his son with keen interest, recognizing this gift for what it was. He was determined to become a good dad.

* * *

Another weekend arrived. They hadn't made any plans today; so far Yosuke was simply filling out some paperwork for Junes at the kitchen table. He had company, however. Souji and Kichirou were sitting with him.

"Kicchan, you ever gone fishing?" Souji asked conversationally.

"Umm, no, Uncle Seta," the boy answered. "Never."

Yosuke glanced up from his work. The look on Souji's face indicated that it was probably a criminal offense. "Because I don't like fish," Yosuke explained stiffly. "Let alone fishing."

Souji ignored him. "Would you like to go fishing, Kicchan?"

"Don't," Yosuke warned, waving his pen. "It's boring."

"Umm," said Kichirou. "Do you like fishing, Uncle Seta?"

Yosuke sighed, giving up then and there. "All right. Have a fun day, you two."

"You're coming with, Yosuke," Souji drawled. "Whether you like it or not."

"Dude, I..." Yosuke stopped because Kichirou was giving him that look and he'd almost said 'I've better things to do.' Better than hang out with his best friend and his son? That wasn't true at all. These accounts could totally wait another day. He closed the book and sighed again. "All right, but I'm just there for company. I don't want anything to do with any fish."

It was a hot summer day. Souji fussed over them before they even left the house, making sure they both had hats and plenty of sunscreen. "You're the albino here," Yosuke complained, but Souji's hands were surprisingly soft, if brisk, in applying the sunscreen to his back, and he didn't complain any further. "Well, now I know why you bought that box of worms," he muttered while they were packing lunch and other items into a backpack. "So you have bait but didn't bring a rod, huh?"

"Yeah, we'll have to stop at a tackle shop by the beach. Don't worry, I'm paying," Souji added when Yosuke groaned.

"It's not that, just... You tried to show me your passion for fishing before, do you remember? It was the most boring day of my life! You spent a whole hour playing with all the rods on display in the store. My music player ran out of juice, it took so long! There were like, two hundred of them and I swear you tested every single one!"

Souji now wore a puzzled frown. "If it was that boring, you should have said. I wouldn't have been offended. And then we could have done something you'd enjoy more."

He wouldn't have been offended, but he would have been disappointed, and Yosuke had always hated seeing his friend disappointed. "W-well, I thought you'd eventually realize what I was thinking," he contested.

"Contrary to popular belief, I can't read minds, Yosuke. But I suppose fishing isn't for everyone." Souji held up the box of worms. "Kicchan, you wouldn't like to touch worms, would you?"

"U-umm," the boy stuttered.

"He should, actually," Yosuke commented. "At his age, I was always trying to throw bugs at girls—"

"Let him decide for himself, Yosuke." Souji opened the box and pushed it towards the boy.

Kichirou looked inside the box, then wrinkled his nose and pushed it away with obvious distaste.

"I thought so," Souji said with a satisfied smile. "When I first learned to fish, I had to catch my own bugs for bait! I shudder at the memory." He rolled his shoulders back exaggeratedly in emphasis, and Kichirou smiled back at him.

"Huh," said Yosuke. "So, what? Did you get over it or something?"

"Basically. I had to learn to fish that year because..." He trailed off. "Besides, fresh-caught fish is the best to cook with."

Yosuke put his hands together and bowed in supplication towards his friend. "Please oh please do not teach me how to cook fish!"

"I won't. Don't worry. Well, anyway, we don't have to go fishing. Since we've already got sunscreen on, how about the beach?"

* * *

The beach was a great idea. Kichirou hadn't been to one since last summer, and for Yosuke, it was just great to hang out with his best friend. It was almost like old times. Fortunately no one lost their swim trunks...

They wrote words in the sand by the water and watched the waves roll up and wash them away. They watched the sandpipers foraging along the shore. They collected interesting-looking shells in a bucket. When the summer sun became almost unbearable, they cooled off with Topsicles at a snack stand.

Yosuke helped Kichirou try to bury Souji in the sand. Souji kept breaking out on accident because he was laughing too much. Apparently the sand tickled him. When they finally managed to bury all of his body, he pretended to be trapped and Yosuke joked about leaving him there. He even started to walk away, taking Kichirou by the hand, but the boy got worried about his 'uncle' and began to pull him back. Souji waited for them to get close before breaking out and throwing sand all over them.

After such a fun-filled day, Yosuke was able to convince Souji that they should eat out for dinner. Perhaps because he was denied a day of fishing, Souji suggested sushi. Yosuke didn't mind; he'd been kind of craving sea urchin roe after they'd seen some shells on the beach, and besides, they deserved a luxury every once in a while.

By the time they returned home, Kichirou could hardly stay on his feet. He was so tired after their nightly bath that Yosuke didn't even have to read to him before he was out like a light.

Yosuke kissed the sleeping boy's forehead before returning to the living room, where he found Souji at his typical place at the tea table, doing his typical before-bed activity, reading a book. It looked like some sort of crime drama.

Souji looked up at him. "Hey, Yosuke..."

Yosuke sort of threw himself onto the couch. "Yeah?"

"Remember when you went to the bathroom today? Kicchan and I had a lot of time to ourselves."

Yosuke scowled at the memory. The public bathroom had been pretty far from where they'd been at the beach. By the time he'd returned to them, he'd almost had to go again! He should've just gone in the ocean, really.

"Well, while you were away, your son asked me a very difficult question."

"O-oh?" Yosuke asked tentatively. He sat up on the couch. Was it about Michiko...?

"Why there isn't an Aunt Seta." Souji laughed, a low but pleasant sound. "He's a curious boy, isn't he? I wonder what he's like in school."

Kichirou had probably asked because he'd seen so many couples at the beach. Yosuke wished he'd been there to see how his friend had handled it. "Why isn't there an Aunt Seta?" he asked, unable to help himself.

Souji's amused expression faltered.

"You told me you were engaged once," Yosuke continued. "Yu-chan, was it?"

His friend's face twisted like he'd eaten a lemon. Then he sighed. "It didn't work out." Souji toyed with his bookmark, which looked to be a grocery receipt.

"Well, at least you figured it out before you tied the knot, right? Unlike me, I guess." Yosuke sighed, too. "She left you? I remember when you broke up." When Souji had told him on the phone, he'd said it like an afterthought. 'Yeah, by the way, I'm not engaged anymore...' and hadn't told him much more than that.

"We parted on good terms," Souji said with a small shrug. "We still talk sometimes."

Yosuke drew his lips back in a grimace. "What about now? Are you... Are you still dating Hei-kun?" Hei-kun, some guy Souji had met in college. Just thinking about it made Yosuke's throat dry. Not because it bothered him that Souji played for both teams, but... He just couldn't imagine a guy good enough for his best friend.

Said best friend shook his head. "Oh, no. I broke up with him. He liked pressing my buttons in the wrong way."

"You have buttons to press?" Yosuke teased, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Souji gave him a lopsided smile, but didn't comment. "In the end, he wasn't what I wanted. So..." He shrugged again. "So, no, there isn't an Aunt Seta on the horizon. I tried to explain it to Kicchan, but I'm not sure he understood. I told him I haven't found someone I want to be with yet. You know, he seemed happy about that! I think he's worried about me leaving you two."

Yosuke chuckled. "Be careful! He might use any excuse to keep you here!"

He focused his eyes away from Souji, thinking that he might do the same, actually. His friend's presence was just too comforting.

* * *

[AN: Thanks TheRandomReaderSmashPlayer, Arc, Ishi, and ShadowCat444 for leaving reviews~]


	14. Chapter 14 - Kichirou 3

"Umm, umm," Kichirou murmured, nibbling his lower lip. "Hiroshi-kun, this is my uncle. Uh, umm, and this is Hiroshi-kun!"

Uncle Seta had asked Kichirou to invite his best friend over so that he could meet him. Now they were standing in the entryway to the Hanamura residence, exchanging introductions.

"Nice to meet you, Seta-san," Hiroshi said with a bow. Kichirou almost rolled his eyes. His friend always pretended to be so polite when he first met people. He knew the good manners wouldn't last.

Hiroshi was just a smidgen taller than Kichirou, and just a little wider, too. His black hair was really short, much shorter than Kichirou remembered seeing it last—his mom had probably cut it recently. His t-shirt definitely wasn't as cool as his own: an airplane was way better than a boring race car.

"Likewise," Uncle Seta said with a welcoming smile. "Kicchan's told me a lot about you!"

Hiroshi glanced at Kichirou, as if to ask, 'Oh really?' Or perhaps he was trying to tease him for allowing his uncle to give him a girl's nickname. Either way, Kichirou pretended not to notice.

"Well, take your shoes off and make yourself at home!" Uncle Seta closed the front door after letting him inside. "If you're hungry, I'll make up a snack. We have strawberry chocoballs!"

"They can't really be called 'chocoballs' if they're strawberry," Hiroshi commented.

Yep, there it was, the end of his politeness. Kichirou poked him for it, but the other boy was too focused on Uncle Seta's reaction to notice.

"Oh ho!" said Uncle Seta. "So you're a smarty-pants, eh? I'll be sure to remember that."

Hiroshi opened his mouth to say something probably dumb, so Kichirou interrupted. "C-come on, let's go play," he said, and he dragged his friend to his room.

Soon the two boys were on the floor playing with some action figures, reenacting a scene from the latest episode of Featherman. "Sunshine beam!" Kichirou shouted, aiming the Red Hawk figure's arm at the toy helicopter Hiroshi was holding.

"Starshine beam," Hiroshi corrected. "If you don't get it right, it's not going to work! See?" He flicked the toy helicopter's plastic blades, making them spin for about two seconds. "Hurry, hurry, he's getting away!" He stood up and ran out of the room, the toy held high in the air above his head.

Kichirou watched him run smack into Uncle Seta, who was carrying three small bowls. "Whoa, careful!" the man said, dancing back with a chuckle. Fortunately, none of the bowls lost their contents. Hiroshi apologized, but Uncle Seta shrugged it off. "Are you two ready for a break? I divided up the strawboballs so we can all have some!"

Hiroshi snickered. "Strawboballs?"

"You wouldn't let me call them chocoballs," Uncle Seta said with an affected pout. He handed one of the bowls to Hiroshi and another to Kichirou. Then Uncle Seta joined them on the floor and ate with them.

"A-aren't they good?" Kichirou asked his best friend after eating a few of the strawberry-frosted biscuits. "I think... my uncle made them himself."

"That's right," Uncle Seta confirmed.

"No way," said the other boy. "You can cook? My dad doesn't even know how to use the microwave."

"Uncle Seta is teaching my dad to cook..." Kichirou paused, gnawing on one of the biscuits for a moment. "Since Mom isn't here to cook for us," he finished quietly.

"Yep," said Uncle Seta. He smiled at Kichirou, and maybe there was a little sadness there. "Your pop learns fast, Kicchan," he went on. "He's my star pupil. But I could teach you to cook, too!"

"R-really!?" Kichirou exclaimed before he could stop himself.

Now Hiroshi was giving him a funny look, which made him feel embarrassed, but then the other boy held up one of the biscuits and said, "Teach him to make these!"—and then everyone giggled.

Once they were finished with their tasty snack, they went through one of Kichirou's toy drawers to find something else to play with. "Why do you have so many beanbags?" Hiroshi asked after they pulled out a sixth one.

"I don't know," said Kichirou. "I think they came all together in a mega pack."

Buried under all the beanbags was a dart gun. "Now this looks like fun," Uncle Seta remarked. "Let's see who's the best shot!"

They relocated to the living room since Kichirou's room wasn't large enough to span the dart gun's range. Uncle Seta covered the television with a blanket just in case, although he tested the dart's foam and it didn't seem like it could do any damage. Then he set up the Red Hawk figurine on the tea table to use as a target, but Kichirou made him replace it with another since it wouldn't feel right to shoot at the good guy.

"Okay, then," said Uncle Seta. "The Wuck mascot is your new target!" He set a plastic green duck that had come with a kid's meal onto the tea table.

They took turns shooting at the figurine, but no one, not even Uncle Seta, was very good with the dart gun. Eventually, Hiroshi got bored, walked over to the tea table, and knocked the toy off the tabletop with a flick of his fingers.

"Kicchan!" Uncle Seta cried. "You were supposed to tell Hiro-chan that cheating is wrong!"

"Uh, umm," Kichirou stammered.

"'Hiro-chan'?" said his friend. He sounded aghast at the nickname.

"Hiro-_cheater_-chan!" Uncle Seta's grin was toothy.

"D-don't call me that! Kichirou! Don't let him call me that!"

Kichirou turned over the dart gun in his hands, unsure of what to do. The fight was starting to escalate.

"Cheater-cheater-cheater-chan!" Uncle Seta taunted.

"I'll fight you!" Hiroshi announced. Without waiting for a response, he tackled Uncle Seta and the two began to wrestle on the floor. Uncle Seta was laughing, but he was soon reduced to giggles when Hiroshi began to viciously tickle him.

"D-dirty cheater... f-fights dirty too, hah?" the man gasped.

Kichirou began to giggle just from watching them in their tickle fight. It was making him feel ticklish himself.

He almost dropped the gun, though, because he suddenly noticed that Dad was standing in the entrance to the hallway. So absorbed in their play, no one had heard him open the front door and come home from work. Now he was standing there in his work suit, watching them, maybe wondering what was going on.

Hiroshi noticed him, too. "Oh, Hanamura-san..." he murmured, pulling sheepishly away from Uncle Seta, who was panting for his breath.

There was a moment of awkward tension as no one knew what would happen next, and then Dad stepped forward, gently pried the dart gun out of Kichirou's hands, took careful aim, and shot Uncle Seta squarely in the chest.

Uncle Seta blinked as the dart bounced off of him. After a moment, he dramatically flailed his arms and roared and fell to the floor, pretending to die.

Dad blew air over the end of the dart gun as if it was smoking. "Looks like you kids are safe now," he remarked in a tough-sounding voice.

"Dad!" Kichirou said, laughing. "N-nice shot!"

"Thanks, son. Got another dart?" Kichirou handed him one, and his dad reloaded the dart gun and proceeded to shoot Uncle Seta again, this time hitting him in the back since he was face-down on the floor. "You gotta make sure he stays down," he explained. "This guy has as many lives as a cat."

Uncle Seta meowed from the floor.

"See what I mean?" Dad poked Uncle Seta with a stockinged foot. Then he handed the dart gun back to Kichirou. "Keep an eye on him while I get changed, all right?" Kichirou promised he would, and then his dad left for his bedroom.

Uncle Seta meowed again. Hiroshi looked at Kichirou and said, "Your uncle is weird."

"H-he's not weird," Kichirou stammered. "He's... he's... he's cool."

"I'm a cool cat," Uncle Seta murmured, following it up with another meow.

Hiroshi shook his head. He tried to stand up from the floor, but he lost his footing and fell against the bookshelf. The dictionary, placed precariously on the edge of the top shelf because Kichirou couldn't reach that high to put it away properly, began to fall.

"Look out!" Kichirou cried.

It happened so fast that if he blinked, Kichirou would have missed it. His uncle leaped from the floor right over Hiroshi's head. The end of his leap became a dive that turned into a roll. A moment later, Uncle Seta was on his feet, the dictionary in his hands. "Ah, it's safe," the man said. "And you, too, Hiroshi-kun. Are you all right?"

"How did you do that, Uncle Seta?" Kichirou asked, awestruck. "That was so cool!"

"It was just a book." Hiroshi sniffed. "You didn't have to do all that."

"You can't jump that high, Hiroshi-kun!" Kichirou pointed out. "And that book was going to hit you."

"I don't think it would have," Hiroshi claimed.

"My uncle's a cool ninja cat," Kichirou said. "That's what he is!"

Dad's voice came from the hallway. "Ninja cats? What the heck did I miss?"

"Kicchan, did you know?" Uncle Seta said. "Back in the day, your pop was a ninja frog."

Kichirou looked at his dad, who'd just entered the living room and was giving Uncle Seta a funny look. "Don't go telling them stories, now," Dad said.

Uncle Seta's eyes were gleaming. "I don't know if he was a _cool_ ninja frog, but he was a ninja frog."

He is cool, Kichirou thought with a smile. Dad had the best aim of all of them with the dart gun. He'd hit Uncle Seta on his first try! Shyly, Kichirou sidled over to his dad and handed him the dart gun and asked him to play with them, too.


	15. Chapter 15

[Content Warning: This chapter contains some minor mention of self harm / suicide. Please stop reading when you reach the bath scene if you are sensitive to such things!]

* * *

Michiko was sitting at the kitchen table.

Yosuke had just come home from work to find her there with her hands curled around a coffee mug. Souji was at the table, too, but by the look of things, the two hadn't been talking. At least, it was obvious that he wasn't interrupting anything when he walked in.

"Micchan?" Yosuke asked from the doorway.

His wife avoided his eyes by looking down at her mug.

Souji vacated his seat, leaving the chair pulled out for Yosuke. "I'll go to the other room," he said swiftly.

Yosuke stared after him. He kind of wanted Souji's support. But this was his own problem, couldn't expect his friend to fix it for him. He took the seat, and the chair scraped against the floor with a sound that made him wince when he pulled it forward.

He watched his wife. Her posture was stiff, like a tightly wound coil. "Michiko," he said when she didn't speak. At that moment, he decided he wasn't going to call her by the pet name anymore. It was obvious that she wasn't planning to stay.

"I needed a change," she said, finally meeting his eyes. "I felt trapped here. I couldn't—can't—handle it anymore."

"T-talk to me, Michiko," he pleaded. "Can't we work it out? We can... we can take a vacation, if you need a change of scenery. A nice, long one. Or if you're tired of this place, we can move, find a new place to live." She was shaking her head at his words, so he finished desperately with, "If there's something you want, just tell me, please!"

She turned her eyes away, pursed her lips together, and remained silent. When she turned back, there was a hardness to her face. "I'm thinking of divorce."

He let out an involuntary whimper in his shock. It took him a very long time to gather his thoughts into words. "If... if you do this," he said, his voice shaking, "there's no going back. I want you to understand that. You might think I'm a sap, but... I'd let you come home right now, no questions asked." He took a moment to continue. "But if you go down this path, and then you find out it's not what you wanted at all... If it all goes wrong... I'm not... I'm not going to be your fallback, Michiko."

"I don't expect you to be my fallback, Yosuke," she replied, matching his gaze evenly. "By now you should have realized that I'm not coming back. Please stop clinging to this false hope. I don't hate you, Yosuke, but I don't want to live here with you anymore."

He had no response to her words.

Why...?

He loved her, and she knew he loved her, so why...? He worked his jaw for several moments before finally croaking out, "Wh-what about Kichirou? Are you just going to leave him behind?"

She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and steeling herself. "I... want you to have him."

He opened and closed his mouth in surprise.

"And before you ask," she said, "of course I will visit him. He is my son."

Yosuke relaxed somewhat. He knew her, and she meant that. "Is that it, then?" he asked slowly, blinking away the moisture in his eyes. "You're just going to go? Just like that? How... how am I going to contact you?"

"I will contact you," she said simply.

She made to stand up, and Yosuke growled, "At least see our son before you leave us!"

She fixed him with a flat look. "I was going to."

He followed her as she strode into the living room, keeping some distance away and watching her closely. The way she moved, the way she held herself... Michiko seemed like a completely different person from the woman he had married. But he suspected it might be an act. She was trying to prove to him that she didn't belong here anymore.

Souji was on the couch, holding Kichirou and covering the boy's ears so that he couldn't overhear the conversation they had been having in the kitchen. Yosuke was glad for Souji's presence once again; without his 'uncle' to stop him, Kichirou would most certainly have eavesdropped or interrupted.

Upon release, the boy ran straight to his mother and hugged her stockinged legs. "Mooom!"

Michiko patted the boy's head. "Kicchan. I'm going away."

Yosuke bit back a complaint—she didn't have to be so direct with the boy! At least talk to him a little...

Kichirou looked up at her with his big brown eyes. "Mom! Where are you going? Can I come with?" She opened her mouth to answer but the boy continued. "Can Uncle Seta come too? And Dad!"

She glanced at the two men in the room, somewhat befuddled. "I have to go alone. Kicchan, be good for your father."

In the periphery of his vision, Yosuke saw Souji twitch, but he was too busy bottling his own rising anger to worry about it.

Michiko tried to pull away, but the boy clung to her. "M-mom... Don't go..."

"I can't stay here, Kicchan," she told him. Her tone betrayed some hint of sorrow.

"You love me, right? And Dad? I love you, don't go...!" Kichirou began to cry.

Michiko bent down to embrace the boy and kissed his forehead. "Of course I love you, Kicchan. But this is something I have to do." She leaned in towards the boy's ear and whispered in his ear. "I'll be away for a while, but it won't be forever. I promise, my darling." She hugged him tighter. "Please be strong."

Kichirou, sniffling and coughing, clutched at her dress. Michiko extracted herself carefully from his grasp and stepped away, a mixture of emotions on her face. As the boy called out to her, she seemed hesitant to leave. She patted his head one last time before finally making her way towards the door. She paused before leaving to wipe her eyes.

And then she was gone.

Before the front door was even shut, Souji took Kichirou in his arms and tried to soothe him. Yosuke paced back and forth behind the couch, his roiling emotions giving him too much energy to sit still.

He still didn't know why, and that's what hurt him the most. What exactly about living here with him couldn't she stand anymore? Something he couldn't affect?

A divorce...

Then he heard Souji's words, whispers to his son. "I love you, too, Kicchan, and so does your dad. We're both here for you. You can let it all out."

Yosuke moved to his son's side, a new emotion taking priority. "Ki-kun... Are you all right?"

He wasn't—he was still crying. Yosuke joined him on the couch and Souji shifted the boy into his arms, allowing him to take over the job of reassuring the boy that he was loved and that he'd never be alone. Eventually the sobbing subsided and the boy pulled away from Yosuke's tear-soaked chest to wipe his eyes.

"Are you better now, Ki-kun?" Yosuke asked gently, rubbing the back of the boy's head.

"Dad," Kichirou mumbled.

Unsure of how else to reassure his son, Yosuke kissed the top of the boy's head and kept his arms around him. Kichirou was quiet, but he didn't ease his tight grip on Yosuke's shirt.

* * *

After a very quiet, contemplative dinner, Yosuke essentially collapsed on the couch while Souji cleaned up the kitchen and Kichirou excused himself to his room. Yosuke knew he should have volunteered to help Souji, but in his state of mind, he'd likely drop something or absently put the dishes in the fridge.

When Souji joined him on the couch, Yosuke had his arm draped over his eyes. "I'm looking my future in the face and I'm not sure I can handle it, partner."

"You mean being a single dad?" Souji asked.

"At this point we know for sure Michiko is not coming back. Will Kichirou-kun be okay without his mom?"

"My uncle managed to raise Nanako-chan," Souji pointed out. "You can do it, too."

"'Big bro,'" Yosuke quoted absently. He sighed and moved his arm away to stare at some arbitrary point in space. "Dojima-san is tough as nails. I... I'm not like that."

"Let me tell you something, Yosuke. He felt exactly the same way. Every time he looked at Nanako-chan, he was reminded of his wife." Yosuke grimaced at that. Dojima's wife had passed away, making that family's situation far different from his. "It hurt him, but he still did his best. And Nanako-chan has grown up into a nice young woman. A little spoiled, maybe..." He chuckled lightly.

"Dojima-san's little princess, huh? How did he handle it when she was angry and upset and asking for mom?"

"There'll be times when you just have to wait for him to calm down. Then, tell him the truth, as much as you can. It might not be easy to explain, but... He'll know, as he gets older, that you're doing the best you can."

"Wh-What if he blames me," – Yosuke swallowed a lump in his throat – "d-dammit, he might, he might start resenting me, right? I don't—"

Shaking his head, Souji interrupted. "He doesn't blame you. Kicchan adores you. Isn't that right, Kicchan?" he shouted, looking towards the hallway.

Yosuke turned his head. "Ki-kun? Were you listening?" His mouth felt hot and dry.

Hesitantly, the boy stepped out into view. "Umm..."

Souji gestured for him to join them, then shifted in the couch to give him room to sit between the two adults. The boy came forward until he stood in front of them.

"I'm sorry, Dad..." the boy said, looking down.

"It's all right..." Yosuke didn't feel like lecturing him for eavesdropping. Not after the day they'd had so far.

"Kicchan, we're just trying to figure out what's going to happen next. It's important to you, too, so you should join us."

"Actually, what's going to happen next is bath time," Yosuke said, looking at the clock on the TV. "Are you ready, Ki-kun?"

"Oh... okay," the boy said, though he looked a little disappointed.

"Yosuke, no," Souji interrupted sternly. "You've got to talk to him. It's not just your world that's been shattered, but his, too! Unless you plan to talk to him in the bath."

Yosuke hunched his shoulders, chastised. "Y-yeah. All right. You're right. Ki-kun, come here." He patted the empty space between him and Souji, and the boy joined them there. They spoke quietly together about how much they loved Mom, how they missed her already, and how they would continue from here.

* * *

While bathing with his son, the warmth of the water spoke to Yosuke, making him want to stay there and soak a bit longer. He helped Kichirou out of the tub, but didn't drain the water. He dried his son off with a towel and helped him into his pajamas. "Go ask Uncle Seta to read to you and put you to bed, all right?"

"Okay, Dad," Kichirou replied. He left the bathroom. Yosuke closed the door after him, then slipped back into the tub, letting the warm water wash over him. He leaned back until most of his body was submerged.

Damn, he was tired... tired of everything. He yawned and pushed away the floating shark toy that was bobbing at his chest. Then he closed his eyes.

He didn't know how long he slept—not long, probably—but he awoke to Souji violently shaking him. He floundered in the water, splashing it all over his friend's clothes and the floor because he didn't remember he was in the bath. "Souji, what?" he spluttered, looking up at his friend.

He saw the hysterical fear on the man's face morph into fast relief. Souji's shoulders slumped in a sigh. "Sorry, Yosuke. You didn't answer the door, so I thought... that maybe something had happened."

Yosuke blinked at him and yawned. "Nah, I just fell asleep." He shifted in the water. It was barely lukewarm, growing colder by the second.

Souji was trying to catch his breath. He wiped his face and then shook his head. "You had me worried for nothing! You're supposed to sleep in a bed, Yosuke. Not a bath."

"Yeah, all right, I'll get out." Yosuke unplugged the drain, and then made to get up, but he began to slip. Souji was there in a flash, steadying him and guiding him down to the stool near the wash basin. When Souji began to dry him off with the towel, Yosuke waved him away irritably. "I can do this myself, partner!"

"Okay, okay!" Souji retreated from the bathroom.

Yosuke took a long time in drying himself, thinking it over. He was actually pretty flattered that Souji had checked up on him. It wasn't safe to nap in a tub full of water.

When he went to the living room, dressed only in his undershirt and boxers—hell, he was ready to go straight to sleep and forget this day had ever happened—Souji handed him a cup and said, "This'll help."

Yosuke took a sip and then held it out at arm's length with a startled grimace. "Is this wine? Where did you get it!?"

"There was a bottle in the top cabinet, above the fridge."

"We aren't supposed to have any alcohol in this house," Yosuke said with a frown. "Was it open already...?" Maybe it was Michiko's secret stash.

"It'll help you loosen up!" Souji declared. "Just for today, Yosuke. Even if you don't normally, you're allowed a drink today."

His offer was tempting, but... Yosuke shook his head. "You can have it."

Souji looked at the cup with a mixture of emotions, then back at him. "We need to talk."

They moved to the kitchen. The wine bottle was conspicuous on the table, and Souji grabbed it before sitting down. His other hand was occupied by the cup. He stared at the table between them, and it took him some time to find his words. "Yosuke, I... For a moment there, I thought you might've killed yourself in the bath."

"Wh-what? I'd never do that!" Yosuke squawked in protest. "I've got Ki-kun to think about!"

"You said you couldn't handle it," Souji said. He let go of the cup to press his palm against the table and looked at Yosuke directly in the eyes. "Don't ever do that. Please."

"Souji, partner, it's all right," Yosuke assured him. "I didn't say I wouldn't try to handle it! I'm scared, yeah, but I'm not a coward. Why would you even think that?"

Souji hesitated, and then his eyes avoided Yosuke's. "Because I tried to once before."

Yosuke's mouth fell open. "Wh-what, partner?"

Souji sighed again, and looked up at the ceiling. "Your wife back there... That whole scene reminded me of my mother. I clearly remember a time when I begged her not to leave on a business trip."

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Yosuke muttered.

Souji waved him into silence. "When I was growing up," he went on, "my mother's attention was what I craved the most. And let me tell you, it was quite rare to receive." He heaved another heavy sigh. "So, in middle school... One day I was cutting out something for a project. I put the edge of the scissors right here," – he demonstrated by stretching out his forearm for view – "and..."

Yosuke was speechless.

"And that's all I did," Souji finished, "because I knew it would only disappoint her, and I couldn't do that. No, I could never do that." His laugh was bitter and humorless.

Yosuke stared at him. Today was a day for distressing revelations, wasn't it?

"I just want you to know," Souji said, smiling at him kindly, "that things will get better, okay? They did for me."

"Y-yeah..." Yosuke swallowed, his mouth too dry. "P-partner... uh..."

Gray eyes looked back at him.

"H-hit me up with some of that wine! I think I need it..."

* * *

[AN. 4/25: Made some minor edits to the final scene to make it (hopefully) flow a little better. It shouldn't affect you if you've already read it. Thanks for the feedback, Andy!]


	16. Chapter 16

Fortunately the summer festival could take Yosuke's mind off of the looming idea of divorce, even if just for a day. Before breakfast, Kichirou asked if his friend Hiroshi could go with them to the shrine, and Yosuke had him call the boy over.

"Hiro-chan~" Souji greeted when the boy entered the house.

Hiroshi looked at Kichirou. "Your weird uncle is still here? Even my mom doesn't call me that..."

Yosuke was unable to keep from laughing, even after Souji shot him a flat look. "Dude, he's telling the truth. You're weird."

"Only Kicchan's opinion matters." Souji crossed his arms. "Kicchan?"

"U-umm..." Kichirou seemed hesitant, but then he declared, "D-don't you remember? My uncle's a cool ninja cat!"

"Ha! See?" Souji was almost stupidly proud. His chest was all puffed out and everything.

"Cool and weird," said Yosuke, shaking his head. "And apparently a cat. Come on, you two. That cool cat made breakfast."

"Don't forget the 'ninja'!"

* * *

The festival grounds were crowded with hundreds of people when they arrived. Many women wore traditional summer kimono in a variety of colorful designs. Yosuke tried not to think of his wife's kimono hanging in the closet. He needed to just enjoy the festival. It was olive-colored with a purple flower design...

One of the first stands they came across was selling masks, and they had some fun trying them on. The children went straight for the Featherman-themed masks, even though Yosuke reminded his son he already had one hanging over his door at home.

Souji put on a Loveline mask because despite his attitude earlier, apparently he wanted to continue to be weird. He ended up buying an orange fox mask. He elbowed Yosuke while he had it on. "Reminds you of something, huh?"

"It's missing the scars and the scarf, but... yeah." Yosuke wondered vaguely what had ever happened to that yen-loving shrine fox. How long did foxes live, anyway?

They found a vendor offering yakisoba, and since it was Kichirou's favorite, they had to get some, so it was time for an impromptu lunch. Yosuke and Hiroshi ended up getting takoyaki instead, but it was a little too hot so they kept blowing on it to cool it off. Kichirou giggled when Yosuke burned his tongue anyway. Taiyaki cakes were available for dessert, but Souji passed on that because he wanted to find a Topsicle stand instead.

There were several games available to play: dart throwing, ring toss, a bowling game, and others. Yosuke stayed away from the goldfish-catching booth due to his aversion to fish, so Souji took over and made sure both of the boys caught something.

Kichirou held the plastic bag close to his face and poked at the fish inside. "I'll name him Feather Orange!"

"It doesn't have any feathers," Hiroshi pointed out.

"S-scale Orange?" Kichirou replied hopefully.

"Sure, and mine's, umm... Bubbles!"

"That doesn't sound like a Featherman character at all!"

There was also a fortune draw. Yosuke shied away from this one, not wanting any more bad luck, but Souji told him it couldn't hurt, so he drew one anyway. He closed his eyes as he pulled it out, reluctant to read it. Souji told him it was a Mild Blessing, and he let out his breath with relief and tied the fortune to the tree.

The afternoon drew to a close, so they took Hiroshi home. To Yosuke's surprise, the boy's mother, Mrs. Ito, invited them to stay for dinner. "It's the festival," she said, a tinge of pink to her cheeks. "You and your son are welcome here."

"That's right," said Mr. Ito from the tea table in the living room. "You've endured our son all day. Stay a while!"

"W-well, my friend, err, a friend of the family, is visiting, so..." Yosuke said. He stepped aside so they could notice Souji behind him. "We don't want to impose."

Mrs. Ito ushered everyone in. "Of course, you're welcome, too!" She introduced herself and her husband, and Yosuke introduced Souji. Mr. Ito invited them to the living room, and the two boys went off to Hiroshi's room to play after putting their goldfish into the fish tank the family already had in the kitchen.

They made some small talk about the festival before Mrs. Ito said, "We heard about what happened through Kichirou-kun. Such a nasty business... Don't be afraid to ask us for help, Hanamura-san. Kichirou-kun is a good boy."

Mr. Ito chimed in. "My brother went through the same thing, a couple of years ago. His daughter ended up with the harpy, though..." He trailed off with a frown.

"I'll be able to keep Kichirou-kun," Yosuke reported. "She already said, and I don't see her changing her mind."

Mrs. Ito was visibly relieved. "That's good. The last thing a boy his age needs is to be moved around. Or to be caught in the middle."

"Yeah, I'm not planning to move away with him or anything," Yosuke assured them. "I want his life to go on as normal as possible."

She nodded in agreement. "I'm glad to hear that. Hiro-kun would be devastated if you had to move..."

She excused herself to attend to dinner, and they turned to a lighter topic in the meantime: baseball. Mr. Ito seemed to be a big fan. He began to show off his autograph collection until his wife returned and playfully scolded him for boring the guests.

"It's all right," Yosuke assured her. "Though I haven't been to a game in a while."

"Oh?" said Mr. Ito. "Perhaps we should go together sometime."

Yosuke agreed that it might be fun, and Souji nodded encouragingly at him, as if making Yosuke connect with the Ito family was his goal all along or something. Upon further review, Yosuke wouldn't put it past his friend. Who knew what schemes he and Kichirou came up with while he was at work?

"D-Dad...?"

Speaking of Kichirou... Yosuke blinked and turned his head to see his son standing in the hall, shyly biting his lower lip. "What's the matter, Ki-kun?"

"Can I stay the night with Hiroshi-kun?"

"You might want to ask his parents first," Yosuke pointed out.

"O-oh!" Kichirou stepped towards Hiroshi's mother. "U-umm, Ito-san? C-Can I please stay over tonight?"

Mrs. Ito's lips turned up in an indulgent smile. "Since you asked so nicely, of course you may."

"Th-thank you!" The boy bowed and backed away hurriedly, presumably returning to his friend's room.

"I didn't say, 'yes,'" Yosuke protested, but he was smiling. "Silly kid."

"You couldn't say 'no' to him if you tried," Souji commented.

Yosuke waved at him. "If he turns out as spoiled as Nanako-chan, I'll blame you."

"Guilty as charged!" Souji announced unashamedly, and they both laughed.

Dinner with the Ito family happened to be curry, and Yosuke wondered how Mrs. Ito knew that he'd wanted to try her curry. He complimented her cooking with genuine feeling. It had just the right amount of spiciness and sweetness—even Souji seemed to be impressed. The mood was so light and playful... Yosuke tried hard to enjoy it and not to be envious of this happy family.

Later that evening, the Itos invited them to the small balcony on the second floor of the house. "We always watch the fireworks from here," Mrs. Ito explained. There wasn't very much room for everyone on the balcony, even after the small table and set of chairs were pushed out of the way, but the six of them managed to fit together.

Yosuke felt a hand creep into his while they stood there waiting for the show to start, and it took him a moment to realize it was Souji's. He almost pulled away, but then the man swiftly connected his hand with Kichirou's. Now Yosuke was holding his son's hand... and Souji was giving him an encouraging smile.

Kichirou looked up and Yosuke squeezed his hand. His son squeezed back and leaned against him as the fireworks began.

* * *

Later that night, Yosuke reclined on the couch that acted as his bed, a pillow under his head. He and Souji had returned to the Hanamura residence, and though it was still a little too early for bed, he was ready for it. "Seems too quiet here without Ki-kun," he observed with a yawn. "Not that he's loud or anything, but..."

Souji set a cup of tea down on the tea table and took his customary seat before it. "Since we're alone, do you wanna do anything tonight?"

Yosuke's brow knit together. What was his friend suggesting...?

"If you want to talk freely," Souji went on, "it's a good opportunity."

Oh. And Souji had been so good about not pressuring him to talk about Michiko! Yosuke sighed. "There's not much more to say, partner. Nothing that you don't already know. She left me. She left me and I don't really know why."

"You hear of that happening," Souji murmured, looking mournfully down into his tea, "but you never expect it to happen to someone you know."

Yosuke stared up at the ceiling. Not a day went by in which he didn't wonder what he could've done differently to keep Michiko with him. There were a bunch of little things they'd disagreed about. Had all those little things come together to make one big thing that she couldn't tolerate anymore? Or maybe she'd seen something on TV that prompted her into looking outside of the life she had? Or, or had she found someone else...?

He shifted on the couch, sighing in aggravation. It was quite likely something he'd never figure out.

The tinkle of a spoon against ceramic took his attention away from such thoughts—Souji was stirring his tea. Yosuke watched his friend for a moment while he apparently tested the tea's temperature with a spoonful. "Say, partner," he said slowly. "Tell me more about you and Yu-chan?"

His friend hesitated, the spoon still in his mouth. Yosuke didn't expect much of an answer—Souji was always rather close-mouthed about his past—but to his surprise, the man chuckled. "You know, to this day I'm surprised she ever let me call her that."

"What, 'Yu-chan'? I'm suddenly reminded of how Teddie could get away with calling Naoto 'Nao-chan.' I'm surprised she never drew her gun on him."

Souji didn't comment on that. His expression had become faraway, and the sigh he released wasn't heavy. "We got together because I reminded her of someone she used to know."

"Yeah...?" Yosuke hazarded.

"She's a good woman." Souji was nodding to himself. "Reliable, but a little headstrong. We were a good team—we worked well together. And everyone around us thought we were a good match."

"You ended up engaged," Yosuke murmured. He tried to imagine the woman who had captured his best friend's heart, but all he could think of was Nanako-chan, and that wasn't right at all!

When Souji didn't continue, Yosuke turned his head on the pillow to look at him better. The man's mouth was thin, and his stormy eyes were fixed on his thumb tracing the edge of the teacup.

Yosuke was about to tell him that he didn't have to tell him any more when Souji began to speak. "It was kind of like a workplace romance. There was a lot of pressure on me, on us... And our seniors were always quick to point out that we're 'not getting any younger.' It was almost like I was obligated to propose simply because we saw each other every day and went to lunch together a few times."

"Ah," said Yosuke. "I know exactly what you mean."

"I mean, I did like her," Souji said, shooting him a tired smile, "but in the end, I couldn't live up to what she wanted. It became too much for me, so I broke it off with her."

Yosuke blinked, and a moment later he gaped at his friend. "You... you broke it off?"

Souji nodded.

Yosuke sat up, flattening his pillow against the couch's arm. "I thought you were dumped!"

His friend looked taken aback by his surprise. "Well," he said, "by the time we reached that point, it was more or less mutual, but I was the one to put it into words, yeah. I told you that we're still friends, right? I haven't spoken with her in a while, but it's true. Who knows? Maybe she's even found someone else by now."

Yosuke watched his friend, wondering if he could ask for more details. "Someone else, huh..." he muttered mostly to himself.

Souji chuckled in amusement. "I know you want to know about Hei-kun."

Yosuke coughed, somewhat indignantly. He hadn't been thinking about that at all—but it was true that he was curious about that particular situation.

"I'll just tell you. He was a rebound, more than anything." Souji's mouth quirked, all signs of amusement gone. "Mutual or not, a breakup is still a breakup, so I was a bit... lost after Yu-chan, I suppose, and he found me, and... He wasn't healthy for me. At least I figured that out pretty fast."

"Oh," said Yosuke. Not healthy... how? Suddenly he didn't want to know.

"It didn't last very long," Souji confided, "and I'm not sure why I ever told you about it."

"Probably because I asked!" Yosuke laughed in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood. "You know me, nosy nosy nosy!"

"Your nose isn't that big," Souji teased. He sighed softly. "Regardless, there's not much more to say about it. Nothing really worked out, so here I am."

"Here you are," Yosuke echoed.

Souji began to sip at his tea, and Yosuke watched him.

Here he was, his best friend, still living with him and taking care of his son after how many weeks now? Without asking for anything in return except, apparently, a place to sleep. Making sure that Yosuke wasn't broken after losing Michiko...

Knowing that Souji had his back made Yosuke so much less fearful of his uncertain future. "Thanks," Yosuke told him.

"Hmm?" Souji set his drink down and sent him a questioning look.

"For being here," Yosuke explained. "I'm not sure I would've made it through this without you."

"Oh, well..." Souji shrugged like it was nothing. "I wasn't doing anything, anyway. And I think you would've been fine. You're stronger than you think."

"You sure? I cower during thunderstorms." Yosuke chuckled, but Souji was looking at him with a strange expression.

"I'm sure," he said softly. "Besides, we're partners, right? I know what you're capable of."

Yosuke felt his face turn red despite himself. "Don't get sappy on me!"

"You started it," Souji pointed out with a smug little grin.

Yosuke flatly ignored him by turning on the TV to the weather report. While the weather lady explained that it was going to be sunny until next Tuesday, Yosuke further considered his best friend. They were halfway through summer, and he hadn't shown any signs that he was planning to leave, and after he'd been here for so long, it didn't seem right to ask.

He supposed Souji would bring it up himself at some point. What a sad day that would be.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning, when they picked Kichirou up from the Ito residence, the boy asked if Hiroshi could stay the night at their house.

"Sure," Yosuke told him. "It's only fair, right? Oh, but... the spare futon is being used by your uncle."

"Oh..." said Kichirou, looking down in disappointment.

"Can't your uncle use the couch?" Hiroshi asked. "It's a pretty big couch."

"Ah, well..." Yosuke stalled, his face blanching. He couldn't really explain to the boys why he was sleeping on the couch instead of in his bedroom. He couldn't, he still couldn't stay in there... and now he was kind of used to sleeping in the same room as Souji.

Souji set a hand on his shoulder. Yosuke looked at his friend quizzically, but there was only sympathy in his eyes. He sensed Yosuke's dilemma.

"Yeah," Yosuke said with false cheer. "Ask your mom, Hiroshi-kun. If she says it's okay, then you can come with us."

* * *

Yosuke swallowed air as he set Souji and the boys to work pushing the spare futon into Kichirou's room so that Hiroshi could use it that night.

He could handle it, using his own bed. It was just one night...

He pushed the dread out of his heart and focused on his present job: washing the spare futon's sheets so that Hiroshi would have fresh bedding. In the process of putting them into the washer, he caught a whiff of Souji's deodorant and absently pulled the sheets out to smell that again. He paused midway, then frowned and shook his head, and then put the sheets back in, firmly closing the washer's door after them.

With that done, he went to Kichirou's room to check up on the boys and found them playing with action figures on the floor. Souji was reading some of Kichirou's manga, but he was obviously also keeping an eye on their play, the responsible adult that he was, from his perch atop the spare futon. It had been pushed into the room's far corner, where it hardly fit; it was so flush against the wall that it'd be difficult to get the sheets on it later.

Standing in the doorway, Yosuke didn't know whether he should join in or leave and let the boys play. It wasn't like he had anything else to do while the washer was running, but he didn't want to intrude.

Then he noticed Souji gesturing at him over the boys' heads. Yosuke blinked, trying to decipher his meaning. He wanted Yosuke to open the nearest drawer full of toys? Souji nodded at him, so he pulled it open as quietly as he could. He rummaged in the drawer and his hand closed on the dart gun.

Oh... Was it time for round two? Souji was literally asking for it.

"Ki-kun, Hiroshi-kun... come to me," Yosuke said in a very serious tone.

The boys looked up at him curiously. "Hanamura-san?" Hiroshi asked.

Yosuke held up the dart gun. "It's time, kids... to hunt the Seta-saurus Rex." He grinned wickedly.

They looked from him to Uncle Seta. Souji's fingers slowly curled into claws. He bared his teeth, and then he leaped from the futon and roared.

* * *

Some time later both adults were panting, Yosuke on the couch and Souji in the armchair. The two kids were settled down in front of the TV, watching an old Featherman movie, Kichirou's favorite. Yosuke had seen it so many times now that he could quote most of the movie from memory. To his surprise, Souji hadn't seen it before. "What, Ki-kun hasn't made you watch it?"

"I'm not a big fan of Featherman," Souji admitted.

"WHAT!?" Yosuke gasped, drawing both the boys' attention on accident. "Dude, you're supposed to be the cool uncle! You don't like Featherman?"

"Weird uncle," Hiroshi muttered, and Kichirou pushed him.

"I don't know you," Yosuke declared.

Souji smiled without humor. "Sorry..."

"You don't have to watch it, Uncle Seta," said Kichirou, looking back at him.

Souji bent forward and patted the boy on the head. Then he looked at Yosuke. "Well... Maybe we should work on dinner while they watch it, then?"

"'We'? Ah, I guess," Yosuke said with a sigh. He wouldn't be able to match Hiroshi's mom's cooking, that was for sure... The boy might regret coming over. Then again, Souji would be able to salvage the meal, right?

Vegetables were neatly lined up on the kitchen counter already—Souji must have started working earlier while Yosuke had checked on the laundry—and Souji picked up a large knife. "Time to teach you how to slice meat!"

"Oh, right," said Yosuke without much enthusiasm.

"First, the key is freezer bags!" Souji held up a plastic bag with a block of beef in it. It looked to be about a pound. He went on to explain how meat was easier to cut when partially frozen.

Yosuke nodded. "Got it."

"Use a big knife because bigger is better right? Actually it just makes it easier to cut with. And then you cut against the grain like so." After taking the meat out of the bag, Souji demonstrated by cutting a few slices from it. "Your turn."

He handed the knife handle-first to Yosuke, who grasped it lightly. The handle was a little warm from his fingers. Yosuke thought of trying to toss it in the air and catch it like he used to do with his kunai, but he decided that he'd better not risk it. He was way out of practice, and it wasn't like Souji would be impressed or anything.

"Ah, try to slice a little thinner," his friend said after he'd done the first two slices. "If they're about the same thickness, then they'll cook at the same speed, get it?"

Yosuke nodded, but his hand slipped and he cut a very uneven chunk out. He scowled down at the meat as if willing it to cooperate.

"Mm," Souji murmured. "Mind if I...?"

"Huh?"

Without further warning, Souji stepped in close right behind him. Peering over his shoulder, he took Yosuke's knife-wielding hand in his own. "Hey, don't go limp on me!" the man scolded. "Keep holding the knife."

Yosuke had almost dropped the knife in surprise at his friend's sudden proximity. He could smell the man's deodorant up close now!

In this awkward positioning, Souji guided him into cutting the beef into slices that were just the right size. His off hand had taken Yosuke's other hand to demonstrate how to keep the rest of the meat steady while cutting it and also how to keep fingers safe from the knife's sharp edge.

"You don't have to slice it fast or anything, but do it with confidence and it'll go a lot easier," Souji murmured. He let go of Yosuke's hands but continued to stand close to observe over his shoulder. "Come on, try it now."

Despite the way his hands were shaking and how his body suddenly felt as tense as a coiled spring, Yosuke managed to finish preparing the whole block of beef.

"Good," said Souji with a nod of approval. He stepped away from Yosuke and opened one of the cabinets to take out a box of plastic bags. Yosuke released the breath he hadn't been aware that he'd been holding as Souji went on to explain how he preferred to label meat for storage in the freezer.

"Yeah, I got it," Yosuke muttered. He shook his head. "So did I pass?"

"Pass?"

"I-I dunno, partner, but it felt like I was taking a test there!"

Souji's eyes seemed to dance. "I'm not testing you, but I could start! Do you think you can cook something on your own from here? What could you make with what I've got out right now?"

"Stir-fry?" Yosuke guessed without really bothering to take inventory. He was still feeling a bit out of sorts.

Souji stared at him for a moment, and then burst into laughter. "Y-Yosuke!" he gasped. "That's the worst answer!"

"Wh-what?" Yosuke grumbled. "You can make anything into stir-fry!"

Now Souji shook his head, but he still wore a silly grin. "That's why that was such a bad answer! Think harder. We've got beef out. What can you make with beef? We sliced it pretty thin, right?"

Yosuke sighed. "I guess, but you did most of the cutting, anyway..."

"I taught you something you can make—"

He was cut off by some shouts from the living room. The two adults looked at each other for a moment before Yosuke nodded at him to go and check on the boys. "I'll figure something out," Yosuke promised.

* * *

But instead of puzzling it out, Yosuke ended up making that simple stir-fry while Souji was away. Whether his friend was disappointed or not with his decision was hard to gauge, and Yosuke wasn't sure he cared all that much at the moment; with dinner served, it was getting closer to bed time and he was beginning to get a little stressed over his sleeping arrangement.

Hiroshi complimented him like a good guest should, and he'd sounded sincere enough, so that's all that mattered!

After the meal, the four of them played board games together. Kichirou won at Snakes and Ladders, as if he was as lucky as his name implied, and Hiroshi and Yosuke each won a round of Go Fish.

While they were deciding what to play next, the boys began to yawn, so it was time to wrap things up. Yosuke let Souji put the boys to bed. From his place on the couch, he overheard the guy telling them when he expected them to go to bed. "I'll come bother you if I hear you past lights out!"

"Such a doting uncle," Yosuke commented when Souji returned to the living room. "But I still can't believe you don't like Featherman." That was like not liking ice cream, or pizza...

Souji took his seat on the cushion at the tea table, but didn't comment.

"O-oh, right. This is your bed for the night." Yosuke stood up awkwardly from the couch and moved to the fairly-underused armchair. "Oh, damn, I didn't wash my sheets or the pillowcase. I was so worried about Hiroshi-kun's sheets that I forgot... It's gonna smell like me."

"I don't mind," Souji said. "But will you be okay?"

He didn't mind the bed smelling like him? Yosuke was oddly flattered. "N-no worries, partner. I'll be fine." He waved a hand, pretending to be unconcerned.

Souji didn't look convinced. Well, Yosuke had been sleeping on the couch every night since he'd been here. If it was okay, he'd have stopped long ago.

"Really, partner!" Yosuke claimed.

Souji's face softened. "All right. But if there's a problem... I don't mind sleeping in the armchair."

"This?" Yosuke looked down at the armchair. "It's not really that comfortable." That was an understatement, actually. It felt like you were sitting on petrified wood.

"I know."

Yosuke chuckled a little. No wonder his friend almost always sat at the tea table!

Souji murmured something incomprehensible and then yawned. The kids must have worn him out, and Yosuke decided that if he was tired, then maybe they should call it an early night as well.

* * *

Yosuke entered his bedroom and closed the door behind him, effectively cutting off his own escape route. No backing out now. He needed to show a strong face. He needed to get over this. His wife was gone, and this was his bedroom.

He took off his shirt and pants and put them in the laundry bin that hadn't been used in months. He sat on the edge of the unmade bed and fumbled with pulling off his socks but eventually managed to get them in the bin too.

After heaving a huge sigh and breathing deeply, he crawled into bed. Hopefully after being aired out for so long, it wouldn't smell like Michiko anymore.

...No such luck.

Tears came to his eyes from the nostalgic scent. He rubbed his hand on the pillow—her pillow—and came back with a few strands of her dark hair.

He tried to hold in his sobs but all it did was make him feel like he was going to vomit. He leaped off the bed and made a run for the toilet room, where he coughed and sniffled and rubbed his eyes raw until he finally calmed down.

What the hell was wrong with him? Michiko had been gone for a long time now... He should be able to sleep in his own bed.

He tried meeting his own gaze in the mirror to demand answers of himself but couldn't even manage that. He sighed again, returned to the bedroom, and sat down on the floor. He leaned his back against the wall farthest from the bed and stared into the darkness and didn't really sleep at all.

* * *

His tiredness made Yosuke irritable at work the next day, so it was with great relief that he came home to find that Hiroshi had already been taken home, that dinner was already being made—and that Souji had moved the spare futon back into the living room.

When Yosuke took the couch that evening after putting his son to bed, Souji didn't say a word.

Yosuke racked his mind for something, anything, to say to explain himself as he bedded down for the night on the couch, but nothing came to him. When he flicked off the light, though, Souji whispered, "Sleep well," and Yosuke buried his face in his pillow.


	18. Chapter 18

Just a few days later, Yosuke noticed that Souji was watching him carefully at breakfast. It was just miso soup and rice, but Yosuke had cooked it all on his own, and he thought it tasted good, but his friend didn't look too happy and hadn't eaten much of it, so maybe it wasn't up to his standards.

"If you don't like it," Yosuke told him, "you don't have to eat it."

Souji blinked down at the soup growing cold before him. "Oh. It's fine, Yosuke. It's just, umm..."

"Not enough tofu, right? Sorry, I can't eat it." There was, in fact, a little plate next to Yosuke's bowl because he always picked out the tofu. It had a single brick on it already.

"N-no. It's not that. Yosuke..."

Yosuke realized that whatever was on Souji's mind, it wasn't about the food. Souji was nervously playing with a single chopstick in his hands. Oh, shit, did he have bad news? Was he... was he going to leave them soon? Yosuke swallowed and pushed his own soup bowl away so he wouldn't accidentally knock it over or something. "Wh-what's up, partner?"

"Well," Souji said. "The other day I had this idea, and, well, it's, well..." He waved his hand while he sought the words and then seemed to give up.

"And...?" Yosuke prompted.

"Well, it's silly, but... can I redecorate the house? N-not too much," Souji added quickly. "Just a little. I think a little change here might help you. But not too much, I won't go overboard, I promise!"

Yosuke moved his fingers to his chin, considering it. "I don't really know what you mean by redecorate... Like painting or getting new curtains for the window or something?" He envisioned the living room. It didn't have much in the way of decorations, really. It was just a functional living room. The walls were plain white and there weren't any pictures on the walls. Heck, even the kitchen they were in was kind of plain. The only decorations were some silly drawings posted on the fridge that Kichirou had made.

"Yeah, like that," Souji went on with a nod. "Maybe move stuff around. I think I might be overstepping my, um, boundaries here, but..."

"Dude, I don't mind. I mean, as long as you don't paint everything gray or something. You don't have the best color sense, partner," Yosuke teased.

Souji hunched his head low on his shoulders in embarrassment. "Yeah, interior decorating isn't one of my primary skills. I wanted to do something while you're at work, but I didn't want it to be a complete surprise in case you ended up hating it."

"Souji, I'm human. I don't like change. But I trust you, so go right ahead." He scratched his head. "Now I'm going to be wondering all day at work what you're planning."

"Kicchan and I are going to have a fun day." Souji drummed his fingers together in front of him and looked like he might begin to cackle at any moment.

* * *

Yosuke came home and opened the door cautiously. The house didn't smell of paint, but he did catch a whiff of ammonia. Souji might have done some industrial cleaning. That sounded like him, actually. "Uh, I'm home," he called.

"Yay, Dad's home!" he heard Kichirou's voice from another room. He smiled to himself at the boy's genuine excitement. Any worries that he carried home from work were shunted aside at the sound of it.

He remained in the entryway and soon Souji appeared with Kichirou at his side. They ushered him into the living room, which wasn't all that changed. Souji had shifted the computer cabinet to the wall to the right of where it had previously been, and he'd centered the TV stand into a different position so that it could be seen better from the couch, and he'd moved the spare futon over some ways to make room for it. Aside from that, the tea table now had a white tablecloth with a flower-patterned trim, and the flower vase he'd removed some time ago was back and had fresh lilies in it.

"Looks good," Yosuke said, accepting Souji's changes without any argument.

"Well, there's more," Souji said timidly. "Come on."

He was now led into Kichirou's room, and almost everything in there was out of place. Yosuke could only imagine that his son had requested everything be moved after seeing what his uncle was doing in the living room. It was funny to imagine Kichirou ordering his 'Uncle Seta' around, making him push his futon to the opposite wall and move his dresser, too. Man, Souji was going to sleep well tonight. He had to be exhausted from all of this.

"Ki-kun, will you be okay sleeping under the window?" Yosuke asked, the only concern he could really think of.

"Yeah! Well, I think so..." the boy replied.

"If you don't like it, I'm sure your Uncle Seta will be happy to move it back. I think you've done a good job. It seems like there's more room in here." He also noted a new Featherman poster on the wall advertising the upcoming movie. He wondered when his son had acquired that.

"Umm, w-well, there's more," Souji admitted. Yosuke gave him a curious look. His friend seemed quite unsure of himself. Should he be worried? The only rooms left were the toilet room and the bathroom, right? Or...

Oh.

Souji now directed him to the main bedroom. Yosuke entered with some trepidation. Ah, so this was why Souji had been hesitant. This room was Yosuke's room. Not just Yosuke's room, actually. Yosuke and Michiko's room. To change it around was...

The first thing he noticed was the bed. It was in the same place, but it had completely new sheets. The old ones had been a dark red. These were now a celadon green with white trim. The pillows had new pillowcases that matched with these sheets.

The window previously had blinds with horizontal slats, but they had been replaced with a new set of vertical blinds. The old ones had been rather tattered and he'd been meaning to replace them for a while. The drapes, originally pink, were now a green that matched the bedding.

Other than that, the room was the same, as far as Yosuke could tell. None of the dressers had been moved, nor the few decorative pictures on the walls. He looked at Souji for an explanation.

"Is it okay?" Souji asked. He was fidgeting with his fingers.

"I guess," Yosuke said. "Just... why?"

"You're mad. Don't worry, I didn't throw out anything. I can change it back—"

"I'm not mad," Yosuke interjected. "I'm just not sure why you wanted to change my room."

"You need to be able to sleep in here again," Souji explained. "I thought maybe if it was changed just a bit, you would be able to. Without it reminding you too much of, well..."

Understanding dawned on Yosuke's face. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and Souji flinched. "...Thanks. I'll... I'll give it a try."

Souji relaxed somewhat at his words. "I was hoping I didn't cross a line," he said with an uneasy smile.

Yosuke sighed. "You're right. I need to start moving on." He looked at the bed, then moved over to lie down on it. It did feel good on his back to have a mattress under him instead of the lumpy couch. And... it didn't smell like Michiko. He probably could sleep in here, now.

"Thanks, Souji," he repeated with his eyes closed. He yawned tiredly and blinked them back open for a moment. "S-Souji... do you think you could give Ki-kun his bath tonight? I'm... really... tired..."

He drifted off before he could hear Souji's reply.

* * *

Yosuke woke up some hours later, feeling more content than he had in a long time.

He snuggled up under the new covers with a pillow in his arms. It was the same bed he'd shared with Michiko, yeah, but the change of sheets had made that fact easier to ignore. Souji had washed them, too, so they smelled like the same detergent he used for everything. Familiar, even if the new sheets had a higher thread count than what he was used to.

Souji was such a great guy. He was out there on that crappy spare futon. Maybe he should get a new one for him as thanks.

Or maybe he should invite him in here. There was room for two, after all. It was a queen-sized bed. Then he could still hear Souji's light snoring while he slept. And still watch him get ready for the day when he woke up in the morning.

N-no, that was a pretty weird thought. Yosuke shifted his head on his pillow. He was obviously still sleepy.

But yeah, Souji... he'd always been important to Yosuke, and continued to prove it. That he'd take matters into his own hands and change the bedroom like that—and to be so worried about upsetting Yosuke. So thoughtful. That had been nice.

Yosuke could never have asked for a better best friend.

He yawned and settled back down to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19 - Kichirou 4

Kichirou waited in the hallway, hoping what they'd done to Mom and Dad's room was okay. He couldn't hear exactly what the two adults were saying because the words were muffled, but Dad didn't sound upset.

A few minutes later, Uncle Seta came out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him. "Your dad fell asleep. I think he's been overdoing it lately. But that means the night is ours alone! What do you want for dinner, hmm?" He wiggled his forefinger in warning. "If you say yakisoba I'm going to make fried rice instead. We have some leftover rice to use up!"

Kichirou pouted and told him 'yakisoba' anyway.

Uncle Seta smiled and patted his head.

After their fried rice dinner, Uncle Seta yawned and told him it might be an early-to-bed night. Kichirou was tired, too. He'd helped out in moving the furniture today as much as he could. He'd never realized before how heavy his toy boxes were.

"But your dad said I should give you a bath, so..."

Kichirou looked up at his uncle. "Oh! You're going to take a bath with me?"

"Yep!"

Kichirou was surprised. He usually always bathed with his dad, and on some occasions in the past, his mom. This would be different. It could be fun!

"You know, I haven't had a bath with anyone else in a long time," Uncle Seta said while they were at the wash basin. The adult began to wash behind Kichirou's ears with soapy fingers.

"Was the last person Nanako-chan?" Kichirou asked curiously.

"Ah, no," he admitted, "but it should have been! That reminds me that I haven't seen her in a while."

"I bet she misses you," the boy murmured.

"We should visit her together!" Uncle Seta said with sudden excitement. "It's still summer, so we could! That would be fun, huh? I think you haven't been to Inaba in a while."

"J-just to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hanamura, yeah..." His uncle began to lather his hair with shampoo. "Why's your hair gray?" Kichirou asked. It was the weirdest thing about the man, really.

"I'm secretly a very old man, Kicchan!" His uncle laughed good-naturedly. "It's always been that way, if you can believe it. They say stress can make it go gray." He paused, putting a shampoo-covered finger to his chin. "Do you think I'm stressed out?"

"S-sometimes," Kichirou admitted. "When you fight with the vacuum!"

They both laughed. Vacuuming was his uncle's least favorite chore. Kichirou had only seen him do it twice in the entire time he'd been here.

Uncle Seta helped him into the bath and then followed him in. The water wasn't quite as hot as it normally was when Kichirou bathed with his dad. Probably his uncle had set it to be cooler.

The gray-haired adult reclined his head against the wall of the tub and sighed. "I'm so glad your dad wasn't upset about his room. I was so worried."

"I don't think he can get mad at you, Uncle Seta," Kichirou replied. "You're his partner!"

"Yeah? He's changed a lot, even in the short time I've been here. I wonder if... No, I know you both are going to pull through this. You're both very strong."

Kichirou moved his hands through the water, making a small wave. "I, I miss Mom, but... She calls me sometimes, so I think... it's okay... if she doesn't live here."

Uncle Seta nodded again. "She loves you, and she's still your mom, even if you're apart. I'm very glad that you recognize this. You're very mature for your age, Kicchan. Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's bad."

"Wh-why's it bad?" Kichirou inquired, looking up at him.

"Because if you're too mature, you don't know how to have fun!"

"I know how to have fun!" he protested.

"Do youuuuu?" Uncle Seta purred. He shifted his body in the bath, sitting up straighter.

"I do, I do!" Kichirou frowned. What was he getting at?

Uncle Seta splashed him.

"Hey!" he protested, guarding his face, but his uncle splashed him again and again until he started splashing back. Then Uncle Seta was laughing and he was laughing, too, and by the time their little splash war was over, there was a lot less water in the tub.

They took some time to catch their breaths, and then they played with one of Kichirou's toys. It was a small sailboat. Kichirou tried to make it sink by pouring water over it, but it was designed to stay afloat. Then Uncle Seta sneaked his hand under the water and pulled the boat down into its depths from below.

When he let go, it popped back up to the surface. "You always gotta bounce back," Uncle Seta murmured. "Whenever you get down."

Kichirou dried the toy, preparing to put it away. The water was starting to cool, so he knew bath time was nearing its end. Uncle Seta agreed—he pulled the plug and drained all the water, and then helped him out of the tub.

"Uncle Seta?" Kichirou asked hesitantly while the man was drying him off with a towel.

"Hmm?"

"Wh-when are you going to... l-leave us?" Summer vacation was almost over, after all...

Uncle Seta paused in drying him. When he dared to look up, the man was blinking at him. "Leave you? Kicchan! I'm not going anywhere. Are you worried about that? Don't worry!"

"S-sorry," Kichirou muttered. "I-I just... d-don't want you to go..."

"Don't be sorry!" his uncle said, smiling at him. "I'm glad that you care that much about me. Kicchan, you know..." He paused.

"U-Uncle Seta...?"

"I don't have any kids of my own. S-so... I'm very happy to be a part of your life." Uncle Seta was beaming at him like a ray of sunshine, his face a bit red.

"Uncle..." Kichirou said, overwhelmed by the emotion outpouring from the man. He turned around on the stool and gave him a hug.

Uncle Seta laughed in surprise. "Kicchan! Now you're all wet again!"


	20. Chapter 20

Yosuke always entered the kitchen after work, mainly out of habit. When Michiko had lived here, usually he would find her there making dinner. He would ask her what she was making, and she'd tell him, and... well, and then he'd kiss her.

He wasn't sure how he'd forgotten today that Souji would be there in her place, but he'd almost just asked what was for dinner, and almost looked forward to that kiss.

He sighed quietly to himself. He stepped away from the kitchen, intending to go get changed out of his work clothes, but he paused in mid-step because his friend hadn't yet noticed him, and he couldn't resist the opportunity to watch him work.

Souji was chopping up an onion with his tongue sticking out. Yosuke almost laughed at him. What was that, an old wives' tale to prevent his eyes from tearing up? It seemed to be working, somehow. Yosuke had a feeling that it probably wouldn't work if he tried that. His own eyes were beginning to water and he wasn't anywhere near the onion.

Finished with the onion, Souji used the flat of the knife to push its pieces out of the way on the cutting board. In one swift movement, he reached over to grab a carrot sitting on the counter. After spending some time peeling it, he began to chop it up as well. Yosuke marveled at how fast he was; seconds later he was chopping up some bamboo shoots, then following it up with some mushrooms.

It was apparent that Souji enjoyed what he was doing, mostly because he began to hum. Was that a theme from one of Kichirou's video games? Yosuke couldn't recognize it, but it probably was. He wondered if Souji'd tried to share his love of cooking with Kichirou yet, like he had with fishing. Or maybe he was saving that for Yosuke to do himself. If that was the case, that was rather sweet of him...

Souji abruptly turned his head and did a double-take, nearly dropping the knife. "Yosuke!" he gasped. "I didn't see you there. You should've said something!"

"Ah, didn't mean to scare you, partner," Yosuke apologized, but he couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face. "I guess I'm getting you back from that first day you were here, huh? You surprised me so much I almost wet my pants."

Souji shook his head. "How long have you been standing there? I didn't hear you get home at all."

"Oh... Not long, really," Yosuke claimed. "I was just wondering what's for dinner. You're cooking? I thought you said this morning that you were going to teach me something new. Some Hawaiian chicken thing?"

"Yeah, I got carried away and started it already." Souji shrugged his shoulders. "See, Yosuke, your wife visited earlier, and..."

Yosuke blinked at him. "Wh-what?"

"Don't worry!" Souji said quickly. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

Yosuke held his lower lip in his teeth. "Yeah, she said she would visit him sometimes. It's... it's not a big deal."

"She just wanted to talk to Kicchan," his friend informed him. "They spoke in his room for about an hour. I let them have their privacy, but I did serve them refreshments at one point. You know, they finished off my last batch of strawboballs!"

"Is he okay?" Yosuke asked.

"If he wasn't, I'd be there with him right now. But go on, Yosuke. You should talk to him. I haven't. It seemed like he needed to be alone when she left. That's why I started making dinner."

"All right. Don't sweat it, partner. This is my responsibility."

Yosuke walked out of the kitchen, feeling less confident than he'd pretended. He entered Kichirou's room, and his son was sitting at his desk, apparently drawing a picture. Yosuke wasn't close enough to see what it was. "Ki-kun?"

Kichirou blinked and looked up from his work. "Dad?"

He took a few steps closer. "Are you okay?"

"Me? I'm fine, Dad. Uncle Seta told you that Mom was here, right?"

"Y-yeah, he did. Did she... what did...?" Yosuke had some trouble verbalizing his question. He just wanted to know what they'd talked about. He couldn't even begin to guess himself.

"She asked me... how we're doing," Kichirou reported. "I told her I miss her, but it's not so bad. I've got you, and I've got Uncle Seta, and..."

He couldn't resist. He gave the boy a hug right there against his desk chair.

Kichirou flailed his arms and laughed. "Dad!"

Then Yosuke caught a whiff of perfume. Michiko must have hugged him, too, and the scent was lingering. His mouth felt dry, so he swallowed.

His son pulled away and looked at his face. "Dad. It's okay. I told Mom everything."

"Everything?" Yosuke repeated.

"Yeah! I told her how you're learning to cook, and how we went to the summer festival, and how we ate yakisoba there... She noticed how my room's all different, so I told her how me and Uncle Seta changed it, and...!"

Kichirou continued to relate what else he'd told his mom.

"And she told me... that she's doing okay, too," Kichirou added in a quieter voice. "She has a job, and she likes it, and..."

Yosuke blinked at him. A job? He didn't think she'd had any interest in working, but he supposed she needed money to live on her own. Even though she had access to it, she hadn't taken any money from their joint bank account.

"She said she'd come back and see me again, and that we'd go out to the theater together."

"That's great," Yosuke murmured, somewhat dazed. "So... you had a fun day?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna draw her a picture and give it to her next time!" Kichirou turned back to his desk and started drawing on the paper.

Yosuke watched him for over a minute before telling him that he was going to check up on dinner. Outside the boy's door, he paused to recompose himself, and then he returned to the kitchen. Souji was seated at the table, apparently waiting for him. Yosuke took the seat kitty-corner to him.

"You know," Souji said, "I invited her to stay for dinner, but she declined."

"She probably didn't want to see me," Yosuke muttered.

"She did say, 'Maybe next time,'" Souji informed him, shooting him a significant look. "And she was smiling, so I think I believe her."

Yosuke hummed, not believing it himself, and then sighed. "Well, Ki-kun's okay. They just talked."

"And you? Are you okay?"

"Umm," Yosuke said, stalling. "Yeah, I'm all right. It hurts that she didn't want to see me, but..."

"At first, when she was talking with him, I was worried she might try to turn him against you or something," Souji confided. "But I really felt silly for thinking that when I overheard them talking about an episode of Featherman."

"She loves him, Souji," Yosuke said with feeling. "Why does she want me to take care of him?"

Souji thought about it for a while before speaking. "She might not be ready to take care of a child completely on her own. Or it might be that when she left, she wasn't sure where she was going. Maybe where she went isn't a good place for him. Who knows? The reason could even be as simple as that her new home is too far from his school."

_But she's still leaving me,_ Yosuke thought miserably. _Despite not being able to take Ki-kun with her, she's leaving me._

It reminded him to ask if Michiko had left behind any paperwork.

"Paperwork?" Souji asked.

"Yeah, like divorce papers," Yosuke clarified. "Figured she'd have brought them with her."

"Oh... no. Yosuke..."

"I'm okay!" Yosuke assured him quickly, because the sympathy in his friend's tone was altogether too much. He hadn't told him that she'd mentioned divorce, so it was news to him, though after all this, he probably suspected it. It was inevitable now, wasn't it? "I mean, yeah, I'm hurt, but look, I'm not crying or anything."

"You're allowed to cry," Souji told him softly.

"I'm okay," he said again. "It's not... It's not the end of the world. We've found that out, right? Me and Ki-kun. If this is how it is, then this is how it is." He spread his hands in a shrug. "There's nothing I can do about what she wants. Especially if she won't even stay to talk with me."

Souji didn't comment, just continued to watch him.

"It's not the end of the world," he repeated with a sigh. "Although I might not believe in love again, since she crushed my heart so bad." He chuckled humorlessly.

"Now don't say that," his friend protested. "Although I think it'll be a while still before you'll be ready to completely move on."

"Yeah...? I don't know. I don't... I don't really want to think about it."

"For now, you should weather this divorce and focus on Kicchan." Souji was nodding at him. "That's my advice."

"That's what I plan to do, partner," Yosuke assured him. "Kicchan is enough for me." He paused, feeling his face get warm. "It feels weird to call him 'Kicchan.' Why do you do that?"

Souji's only answer was to smile at him with a shrug. Honestly, he probably wouldn't understand even if he'd answered. It was just part of Souji being a weird uncle again!

"What's for dinner, anyway...?" Yosuke asked somewhat absently, seeking a new topic.

"It's actually just a form of stir-fry. Since you seem to like stir-fry," Souji teased. Yosuke's failure to realize that he could've made shabu-shabu for Hiroshi instead of that generic stir-fry was apparently something his friend would never let him live down. "To be honest, I'm not sure what's so Hawaiian about it. It doesn't even have coconut."

"No coconut? That's probably a good thing!" When Souji gave him a quizzical look, Yosuke began to relate his coconut soy sauce pork disaster, which made Souji laugh.

"You're so lucky Kicchan isn't a picky eater," Souji remarked. "Oh, that reminds me. This is completely unrelated, but..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we could take a little trip to Inaba this weekend?"

Yosuke blinked at him. That suggestion had come out of the blue! Completely unrelated was right. "Well, yeah, I guess we could do that..."

"I think you both need a change of scenery," his friend went on. "And I think you should tell some of the others what's going on. You can rely on them to support you. The Ito family will be a great help, but have you even told your own parents what's going on?"

Yosuke rubbed his chin, reluctant. "N-no... I don't really wanna bother anyone with this..."

"Trust me," Souji said, and the way his eyes smiled made Yosuke smile at him back.

"You're right." He nodded. "Yeah, we can do that. A trip to Inaba. That sounds lovely."


	21. Chapter 21

During the train ride to Inaba, Souji opened up a map of Japan he'd taken from a kiosk at the station and spent the time pointing out different places he'd been to and describing them to Kichirou. "I saw a Risette concert here!" "They put wasabi in their ramen, it's so weird!" "There's a hot springs there that's really nice. We should go there sometime."

Yosuke blinked, wondering if Souji had actually said that last sentence or he'd imagined it. Lost in thought, he hadn't quite been listening to their conversation.

"Have you been to a hot springs before, Kicchan?" Souji asked.

"Yeah, we went to one!" the boy answered.

"Y-yeah, back in January," Yosuke contributed, waking from his daydreams. A day at the hot springs had been a birthday gift to Michiko. She'd seemed like she was happy about it at the time... but, well, who knew now?

"It was fun," Kichirou said, "but you wouldn't like it, Uncle Seta."

Souji raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Why's that?"

"You can't go fishing there."

Yosuke snorted, and Souji patted the boy on the shoulder. "Yeah, the water might be a little too hot for fish, heh."

The train slowed, braking into a station. It wasn't their stop, but conversation was killed while passengers departed and a new wave boarded the train. Yosuke kept his arm around his son, not because he expected anyone to try and snatch him or anything, but he did feel maybe overprotective of him. He realized, though, that Souji also had his hand over Kichirou's hand, so he definitely wasn't alone in that sentiment.

He pulled away just a little when the train doors closed. Souji gave him a warm smile over Kichirou's head, and Yosuke found himself sending a goofy smile of his own back at him. Then he frowned, because he'd felt silly for doing that.

"Are you all right, Yosuke?" Souji asked. "Motion sickness?" The train had just started to move again.

"Oh, ah..." Yosuke shook his head. "I was just wondering where you're going to stay, partner. With your uncle?"

"Uncle Seta has an uncle?" Kichirou asked. He looked up at his dad first and then turned his eyes on his 'uncle.'

Yosuke laughed. "It might surprise you, Ki-kun, but your grandparents also had grandparents."

"Oh..." Kichirou seemed a little flustered. "Y-yeah..."

"Anyway, partner," Yosuke continued, "I know my parents would be happy to put me and Ki-kun up, and you'll be happy to see Nanako-chan again, so I guess this works out." Now that they were almost there, he was getting a little excited about the trip. Souji was right, they needed to take a little vacation.

"Hmm, I was thinking we could stay at the Amagi Inn for a night," Souji said. "That's why I was asking about the hot springs, actually."

The boy's eyes became alight with excitement. "We can stay at the hot springs?"

"Sure, why not?" Yosuke agreed. They deserved a little luxury, didn't they?

* * *

The Amagi Inn hadn't changed much over the years. Yukiko was now co-owner with her husband, but she'd kept the traditional Japanese theme—including the name—that her parents so loved. Guests were provided yukata and expected to wear them on the premises. Most of the decorations were traditional; the reception counter sported a jade Japanese dragon and a golden Buddha statue, and well-tended bamboo plants were growing in pots throughout the inn. Every room had tatami mats and the rooms were walled by fusuma painted with nature motifs.

Usually guests would be greeted by an underling, not the inn's owner herself, but there was Yukiko at the reception counter in a pink and white flower-patterned yukata, her long black hair styled into a bun. "Oh! Souji-kun! And Yosuke-kun! And Kichirou-kun, too!"

Souji nodded at her, and Yosuke said, "Hello, Yukiko-san..." He didn't really need to use the honorific, but he felt like he should be more respectful. Especially considering...

"Kanji should be down in just a moment." Yukiko rang a bell at the counter.

...she was married to Kanji Tatsumi.

The two were the only ones on the Investigation Team to become a married couple. It made a strange sort of sense—the Amagi Inn had been one of Tatsumi Textiles' biggest customers, and Yukiko and Kanji had been childhood friends. They seemed to be happy together. They had a child, too, a little girl named Atsuko.

"What's up, hun? Oh. Oh! You two! How's it goin'? Haven't seen you in ages, Yosuke." Kanji strolled into the lobby wearing a baby-blue yukata. His hair was bleached, but not as heavily as it had been in his high school years—just a few streaks of sandy yellow in his otherwise natural black. He wore glasses, too, of the rimless variety. They looked somewhat out of place on his stern but friendly face.

"Yeah," Yosuke muttered. "It was Souji's idea. We, that is, my son and I, needed a vacation, and what better place than here, huh?" He laughed a little nervously.

"We're glad to have you!" Yukiko declared, but Yosuke suspected it might be primarily because they were paying customers.

"He's so tall," Kichirou whispered, looking up at Kanji towering over them.

"Oh! You don't know Kanji?" Souji asked the boy.

Kichirou frowned like he was trying to remember. "No, sir."

"I don't remember meetin' you, either," Kanji said. "Must've been out the last time you visited."

"Well," said Souji. "Kanji, meet Kichirou-kun, Yosuke's son, and Kicchan, meet... Uncle Kanji."

"Uncle?" Yosuke and Kanji exclaimed at the same time.

Souji grinned. "Why not? He calls me uncle!"

"How did that even start, anyway?" Yosuke wondered aloud. "And shouldn't it be Uncle Tatsumi? I mean, going by the pattern, since you're 'Uncle Seta' and all..."

Kanji squared his shoulders. "Just call me 'Kanji,' kid. No need to bother with that crap."

Souji made a disappointed sound. "Anyway, is your daughter around?"

"I'm sorry—Atsuko-chan is out with some friends. Kichirou-kun will have to stay with us adults for a little longer... Unless..." Yukiko smiled brightly as an idea came to her. "Kanji! Why don't you show Kichirou-kun around the inn?"

"Me?" said Kanji, scratching his head. "You're better at the touristy stuff than I am."

"Think of it as practice," Souji said. He gently pushed the boy toward Kanji.

"Tch. Alright. C'mon, kid." Kanji waved the boy over and they disappeared down a hall.

* * *

"What have you been up to, Souji-kun?" Yukiko asked. They had relocated to a private room with a small conference table and comfortable chairs. It was surprisingly modern and didn't fit the inn's theme. According to Yukiko, it was mostly for business groups. "It's been several months since you were last here."

"I've been Kicchan's big bro and uncle for most of it!" Souji announced. "Right, Yosuke?"

"Umm, yeah," Yosuke said, feeling awkward once again in response to the warm smile his friend was giving him. "Souji's been helping me out, big time, while I work things out."

Yukiko's face shone with sympathy. "Yes, Souji-kun told me when he made the reservations."

"I figured," Yosuke muttered.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this. If only Souji-kun could talk to your wife and help her solve her problems, maybe she would see... that walking away might not be the best answer." Yukiko sounded so sorrowful that Yosuke wondered if she wasn't speaking from personal experience.

"My charms only work on people 18 and under," Souji joked.

"Dude, that makes you sound like a creep." Yosuke commented. "And it's totally not true, either."

Souji ignored his jibe. "I actually did try talking with her, but she wasn't interested in telling me anything."

Yosuke blinked at him and then lowered his gaze.

"Well, Yosuke-kun, you know you can count on us," Yukiko said with a kind smile. "We wouldn't mind watching Kichirou-kun for a while, if you ever need a break. He's a couple of years older than Atsuko-chan, isn't he? But I'm sure they'll get along."

"He's a good kid," Souji confirmed.

They spoke more, mostly reminiscing, until Kanji entered the room with Kichirou at his heels. The two were both smiling; obviously they had connected somehow. Yosuke noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Souji was hiding a grin of his own behind his hand. He could be so manipulative sometimes...

"And here we are, the meetin' room. Where..." Kanji trailed off, waiting for Kichirou to finish.

"Where people meet!" the boy declared. He broke out into giggles.

"Seems you two had fun," Yosuke said mildly.

"What? You think I don't get along with kids?" Kanji growled and made a fist with his hand, but he unclenched it soon and chuckled afterward. He was only joking. "Tch, man..."

"A reputation is something you never live down," Yosuke said, trying to sound sagely.

"Yes, you'll always be 'Junes Boy' to me, Yosuke," Souji teased.

Yosuke glared at him and opened his mouth to protest, but Yukiko interrupted. "Why don't you get settled in your rooms and then go use the hot springs?" she suggested.

* * *

Kanji led them to their room for the night, and they made arrangements before hitting up the hot springs. They decided to put Kichirou in the middle futon, between Souji and Yosuke. It was a decision made mostly to protect the boy in case he decided to go wandering at night. It wasn't too uncommon for him to get restless; Souji'd confided in him that he'd observed the boy go to the kitchen well-past his bed time to get a drink.

Kanji showed them that yukata were available in the closet. "And the hot springs are on the ground floor. When you face the reception desk, the changing rooms are down the hallway to the left and through the double doors against the wall," he recited. "Oh, uh... I guess you all already know where they are, anyway..." He scratched his head.

"Can you join us in the hot springs?" Souji asked.

"What, me?" Kanji seemed surprised at the invitation.

"Yeah, why not? Let's make it a guy's night out," Yosuke said. "Wait, is it open to guys or girls right now?"

"Guys," Kanji confirmed. "For about another hour. Should probably get going, huh?"

* * *

After shedding their yukata and underclothing in the changing room, they stepped outside to the washing area. Yosuke took over the job of ensuring his son washed up. The hot springs were like an oversized bath, after all!

When that was done, he began to wash himself. He overheard Souji helping Kichirou into the hot springs behind him. "If you feel too hot," the man was saying, "the other side is cooler, so head over there, okay? And watch out, it's a little deeper in the middle."

"Okay, Uncle Seta!"

Yosuke soon followed them in and took a place next to Kanji. They soaked in the hot water in companionable silence for some time. Kichirou played in the water a short distance away, just out of the corner of their eyes.

"You know," Kanji mused, "since I own the place, well halfway at least, I haven't been in here much."

"Dude, I'd be in here every day," Yosuke replied, closing his eyes and leaning back against the spring's edge with a happy sigh. "Man, Souji, we should stay here a week. No, two weeks."

"We could arrange that," Kanji informed him. "Your room is available for another few days, at least, unless Yuki-chan picked up some new reservations today."

"Yukiko-san really taught you to be a businessman, huh?" Yosuke lazily blinked his eyes open and gave him a smile. "She must be very proud."

Kanji blushed. "Y-yeah... We're doing alright."

Yosuke felt a slight sting of jealousy. Kanji and Yukiko were happily married... Why was he the unlucky one? He should be happy for them, but...

Jealous of Kanji? What was the world coming to?

"Kicchan!" Souji suddenly exclaimed. "Keep your head above the water!"

Yosuke turned to look at his son. His hair was soaked and he was wiping water from his eyes; he'd just come up from a dive.

"It's not a pool!" Souji lectured. "You aren't even wearing your swim trunks."

"'Uncle Seta.'" Yosuke snickered. He was acting like Kichirou's second dad!

"B-but I lost my towel!" the boy protested.

Souji strode through the water over to the boy, and Yosuke was splashed a little from his wake.

"It happens all the time, kid," Kanji said. "Towels are optional, anyway."

"Th-they are?" Yosuke squawked without thinking, because now Souji was facing away from them, trying to help Kichirou find the lost towel. With his bare back visible, Yosuke couldn't help but notice how he was fit and muscular, ready to be called at any moment to his job hunting Shadows.

Yosuke frowned down at the water, because it suddenly felt too hot.

"Most hot springs don't allow them in the water," Kanji pointed out. "We do only 'cuz that's how it always was."

That... was true, actually. Why did the Amagi Inn allow guests to bring towels in the water? That was considered unclean...

Souji shifted from his left foot to his right and flailed his arms as he almost lost his balance. With a splash, he pulled up a towel from the bottom. "Here you go, Kicchan!" He held the sopping thing out to the boy.

"Thanks, Uncle Seta!"

"There's just one problem..." the gray-haired man murmured.

Kichirou looked up at him from his inspection of the towel. "Y-yeah?"

"I lost _my_ towel now!"

Yosuke coughed, and kept coughing until Kanji pounded his back with a fist to help him recover.

"No you didn't!" Kichirou exclaimed.

"I was~ kidding~" Souji sang. "Anyway, I think it's time I got out. Too hot!"

It seemed like Souji didn't have a high tolerance for the heat. His skin was all pink from his short time in the water. It made him look a little sunburned. Yosuke tried not to watch him too closely as he got out of the water. Then he realized Kanji was definitely watching, and that annoyed him somehow.

"How much longer you wanna stay in?" Kanji asked him when they were alone in the water. "We can head out, too. You aren't supposed to stay in too long, anyway." He began to recite the recommended times based on age, something he obviously had memorized for the inn's customers.

"Yeah, whatever," said Yosuke, and he made for the hot spring's exit. He washed himself at the washing station and headed into the changing room to pick up his yukata.

Souji and his son were there and already dressed. In fact, Souji was combing Kichirou's hair. "Or maybe we can spike it," he was saying.

"J-just normal, please, Uncle Seta!"

Souji clicked his tongue. "A hairstyle makes you _you._ You should consider it!"

"You can do whatever you want to Ki-kun's hair," Yosuke interceded, "as long as it isn't a bowl cut."

Souji huffed in mock annoyance. "Let's go get some water, Kicchan. Then we'll go back to the room." He opened the sliding door and headed into the hall, Kichirou following him.

"See you there in a bit, partner," Yosuke called after them.

Alone with Kanji in the changing room, Yosuke shook his head. Maybe he should be worried about what silly things his friend was telling his son, but they were both having fun, so...

His thoughts were interrupted by Kanji, who had just finished putting on his yukata. "You still call him 'partner'?"

Yosuke blinked at him. "Wh-what of it?"

Kanji shrugged while he was still tying the sash. "It feels like... you've changed a lot. But it's good to see some things stay the same, y'know?"

Yosuke's eyes softened. Yeah, Kanji had changed a lot, too—he spoke more gently and was definitely a businessman—but you could tell he was still Kanji. He still had his piercings, after all, and that was reassuring, somehow.

* * *

But... Yosuke thought about it after they retired for the evening.

Of course he still called Souji 'partner' – that's what the guy was to him. More than a best friend. And Yosuke was aware of the double entendre of its meaning, though he hadn't when he'd first used the word (he had been, admittedly, a very ignorant teen back then). It was too late to change it after; it had become second-nature to call him that. And Souji seemed to like it, or at least he didn't mind it. Never told him not to call him that...

Yosuke rolled over. Looking out, he saw Souji across from him, just a futon away since Kichirou was between them. He seemed to be asleep already. It was hard to tell in the dark, but he looked rather peaceful. His arms were folded in front of him, and one hand had its fingers curled against his collarbone.

Souji stirred, but then snuggled back down, the moonlight beaming across his face. His lips parted as he began to breathe through his mouth. Yosuke licked his own lips, and then felt his face heat up.

Oh.

_Oh._

He was definitely old enough to recognize this feeling. He bit the inside of his cheek hard and told himself to get it together. This was Souji he was thinking about!

That he was thinking about... k-kissing...

* * *

[AN: I suppose this chapter needs some notes. Uh, basically, I read a comment a while ago on the kink meme from someone lamenting the lack of Kanji/Yukiko in the world, and somehow that idea got in my head when I wrote this scene. Random rare-pair, go! I do love Chie/Yukiko, but I thought I'd do something different this time.

I don't know why I gave them a kid when she's never seen, though...

And I am aware that censorship is the reason behind the Amagi Inn having towels in the game.

We'll have a Kicchan &amp; Kanji chapter on Friday! It'll be a cute little thing on what they were talking about during that 'tour.']


	22. Chapter 22 - Kichirou 5

[AN: This is just a little bonus chapter showing what Kanji and Kichirou talked about on that little tour of the Amagi inn.]

* * *

"Uh, umm, T-Tatsumi-san..." Kichirou stumbled over his words in his shyness.

"Kanji," the big man corrected. "Ya don't have to be formal, kid." He smiled, and Kichirou sensed the somewhat uncertain kindness behind it. He was taller even than Uncle Seta... And maybe just as nice?

"Umm... You know my dad?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah." Kanji-san stopped walking. "He was my senpai, back in school." He scratched his head. "Your dad and I... we didn't get along too well. We fought a lot... But we're friends, yeah. He saved my ass once. Eh, he'd make a dumb joke if he heard me sayin' that."

Kichirou blinked at him.

Kanji-san turned to an open doorway. "Anyway, this room here is the, uh, laundry room, where we do... laundry."

Kichirou politely looked inside. Indeed, there was a lady folding a pillowcase, and the room was warm from the dryer heat and smelled flowery like scented detergent.

"'Sup, Mai-san," Kanji-san greeted with a wave of his large hand.

The lady smiled at him and nodded.

They walked further down the hall and stopped before large sliding doors. "And here's the changing room, where people change."

He didn't open the doors. Kichirou looked up at him.

"For the, uh, to use the hot springs," he added.

"Oh! Hot springs!"

Kanji-san grinned at him. "Excited, yeah? Your dad better take you."

"And Uncle Seta!" Kichirou declared.

Kanji-san snorted. "'Uncle Seta'... Sounds like 'im. Guess he upgraded from 'big bro,' huh..."

"U-Uncle Kanji?"

"Ugh, please don't call me that. Makes me feel weird, and I don't wanna be related to your dad. Uh, no offense, kid!" He paused thoughtfully. "Hey, does that make my wife your aunt?"

"My aunt?" Kichirou looked up at him with starry eyes. "Aunt Tatsumi?"

"She might like that, actually," Kanji-san admitted. "We both don't have any brothers or sisters, so it's the only way we'd be an aunt and uncle, I guess. Well, anyway!" He strode forward with long steps. "This room's the computer room."

He didn't open the door, so Kichirou just looked at it. "Are there computers inside?"

"You catch on quick, kid. We do our accounting in there."

"Oh! My dad does accounting sometimes..." He was quiet for a moment. "K-Kanji-san...?"

"Yeah?"

"Did Uncle Seta really always have gray hair?"

Kanji-san snorted and covered his mouth with his hand. "The biggest mystery about him, yeah? I always used to think he dyed it, like your dad."

"My dad used to dye his hair?" Kichirou tried to imagine that for a moment. "W-was it... like yours?"

"I'm sure he's got pictures. You gotta ask him to show you. Moving on now, this room is the most important room..."

Kichirou stared up at him, waiting for the explanation on why it was so important.

Kanji-san was grinning at him. "It's my room! And Atsuko's playroom is right next door. You'll meet her later, I'm sure. And then... down here is the kitchen..."

He trailed off, so Kichirou supplied, "W-where people cook?"

"That's right! And on our last stop..." Kanji-san opened the door to the next room. And apparently they had trailed all the way around the inn, because Kichirou's dad was inside, along with Uncle Seta, who smiled upon seeing him, and Aunt Tatsumi. The tour was effectively over!


	23. Chapter 23

The sound of a shoji opening awoke Yosuke the next morning. Still lying in the floor futon, he turned his head and saw Souji strolling into the room in the blue-sleeved yukata provided by the inn. The man knelt down by his futon. His lips began to move and Yosuke stared. It took him way too long to realize his friend was speaking.

Yosuke frowned and closed his eyes, effectively blocking the sight. What was going on with him? he wondered.

"—almost asked Kicchan to get you up by pulling your hair," Souji continued. "I think he'd refuse, though. He's too nice to do that."

"You... you saying I need a haircut?" Yosuke mumbled, shaking his head in a feeble attempt to clear it and make sense of things. He was never a morning person, but...

"You definitely have bed head," his friend cheerfully replied.

Yosuke absently tried to smooth his hair out. Then he sighed, because he didn't really want to get up. Eventually he gathered the willpower to make the attempt. Souji offered a hand. After hesitating a moment, he took it, and his friend's strong grip pulled him to his feet.

And Yosuke held onto his hand just a moment longer than necessary, but Souji didn't seem to notice. Yosuke stared down at the palm of his hand. It still felt warmth from his friend's grip. "Say, Souji..." Yosuke began slowly. "What do you think of me?"

"Hmm?" Souji blinked at him. "Where did that question come from?"

"Don't answer a question with a question," he complained. He crossed his arms, though the act was difficult in his yukata.

Souji took some time to consider it, adopting a thoughtful expression while he did so. "Hmm... I think you're a great guy. You've been hurt, but you're still going. You're doing the best you can by your son, and that's admirable. And Kicchan looks up to you. You and Michiko-san have raised a very sweet child, you know. You should be proud of that!"

Although Yosuke was pleased to hear it, it wasn't exactly what he'd meant with his question. He was looking for something a little less general...

"And I think..." Souji continued, but he trailed off.

"Wh-what?" Yosuke asked, noting how the almost shy smile on his friend's face had faded.

"I think... you should talk to my uncle."

Yosuke hesitated for a long moment. Dojima had always frightened him. He was just so... adult. He was mature on a level that Yosuke would never achieve, and the years couldn't have changed the detective that much. If anything, he'd probably become even more hard-boiled. He was an experienced single dad, however, so... "Yeah," he said, "I probably should."

Souji was nodding his affirmation. "He'll have good advice for you. Maybe we can see him this afternoon? I know you wanted to visit your parents this morning."

Yosuke mumbled an agreement and then sought a comb to fix up his hair, his question begrudgingly forgotten. He opened the closet and used the mirror hooked to the inside of the door. His hair really was starting to get long, wasn't it? He sighed. At this rate his mom would think he was morphing into a slob without his wife to look after him.

He paused with his comb halfway through his hair. He'd noticed Souji standing some feet away in the reflection of the closet's mirror. "Partner," he said slowly. "Don't tell me you've been walking around the inn with your yukata open like that."

With how much leg the guy was showing, his underwear could almost be seen. Since Yosuke did the laundry, he already knew that Souji wore briefs—he didn't need a visual!

Souji blinked and looked down. He apologized sheepishly as he resettled the yukata over his body.

Yosuke forced his eyes back to his own reflection to finish combing his hair, using perhaps more force than necessary. "You're usually so neat," he remarked as casually as he could manage.

"I had to bend down to play with the kids, so..." Souji explained. Yosuke allowed himself to steal a glance at his friend now. Souji's cheeks were a rosy pink. He had the feeling it was more from happiness at the fun he'd had playing than from any embarrassment over how it'd mussed up his yukata. "They're in Atsuko-chan's playroom right now, by the way. Kanji's watching them."

Yosuke waved his hand and told him it was okay. "I'm sorry. My mom's gonna want to see Ki-kun. Otherwise I'd let him stay here and play with you and Atsuko-chan all day."

"It's fine," Souji assured him. "I promised Nanako-chan I'd see her, so... She and I will hunt down my uncle together. Call me later, all right?"

"Will do, partner."

Souji smiled at him and then left the room. Yosuke smiled after him, and it took some time for him to refocus on the long day ahead of him.

* * *

Yosuke always felt a sense of nostalgia when he visited his parents' home. He'd lived there for over four years himself. From his second year of high school until he'd married Michiko and moved away...

He, Michiko, and their son visited Inaba only a few times a year; although the senior Hanamuras didn't live far by train, it just... seemed far, and as a result they didn't come here half as often as they visited the Furusawas. Besides, Yosuke's father had always been a very busy man, what with managing Inaba's Junes, and his mother, too, just in helping him out.

In fact, his dad wasn't home today, but his mother was there waiting for him. After letting her catch up a bit with Kichirou, they set him to watch a movie in Yosuke's old room while they talked in the living room.

Yosuke gave his mother the news about Michiko, and when she cried out and hugged him, he held in his tears as well as he could. He remembered so long ago when he was a teenager and his family had just moved to Inaba. His mom had been so unhappy in those first few months that she'd threatened to leave and move back to the city, but she'd ended up working things through with his dad. Now, it seemed, they couldn't be happier.

"Time gives you a different perspective," she told him. The unspoken hope was that time would heal his wounds, too.

They discussed how he planned to move forward. Yosuke painted a picture of his life in the city, trying to make it seem like he had everything in control.

She didn't look completely convinced. She was his mother, after all. "If you need a place to live..." She left the offer open-ended.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "It's not like I lost my job. Financially, we're fine. And... Souji's been living with us, helping us get back on our feet."

Hearing that made his mom smile and nod. "I'm sure he's been picking up the slack. He always was so reliable!"

"Mom!" Yosuke protested, but she was totally right, wasn't she?

She gave him further practical advice—including finding a support group in the city for single fathers—and he took it all to heart.

* * *

Some time later, Yosuke called Souji up on his cell phone. "Hey, partner, you free?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Wanna walk around town with me? My mom wants to spend some time with Ki-kun, so it'd just be the two of us." Yosuke rubbed his face. Why did it feel like he'd asked Souji out on a date?

There was no hesitation from Souji's end, regardless. "Sure. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about the overlook?"

* * *

When he arrived, Souji was already there, leaning into the railing and looking out over the town.

Look at him, Yosuke thought, dressed all nice even in this sweltering summer heat. A nice dress shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes... Though, to be honest, he didn't seem to have much else in his wardrobe.

A light breeze began to play through the man's silvery hair, and Yosuke suddenly swallowed. Had his heart just skipped a beat? He shook his head and joined his friend at the railing.

Souji glanced at him, but didn't say anything. Cicadas in the background filled the silence as they looked out over the cliff's edge together.

"Still a nice view, right?" Yosuke asked, finally breaking the silence. "Inaba's gotten so big..." He shaded his eyes against the noonday sun and tried to determine how far he could see.

"Yeah," Souji whispered.

"Pretty nostalgic to be here," Yosuke commented.

"Yeah."

Yosuke watched his friend, but he was still looking out over the town. His voice had sounded regretful, somehow. Yosuke almost wanted to pat his hand on the rail and tell him it'd be okay. "You all right, partner?" he asked instead.

Souji finally turned to look at him, eyes somewhat struggling to focus. "Yeah. Maybe it's a little too nostalgic?" He gave Yosuke a half-smile.

"I'll say. This is where I proposed to Michiko."

That surprised Souji, though he hadn't meant it to. The man leaned his head back and blinked at him with soft gray eyes.

"Yep," Yosuke went on. "I barfed over there by that trash can right after. Nerves, you know."

Why was he telling Souji this? ...Nerves? It wasn't like he was about to repeat the proposal or anything. Souji didn't need to know all about his courtship of his soon-to-be-ex wife.

"Better there than on her shoes," Souji pointed out.

Now his smile was real and playful, and Yosuke smiled back.

Yeah, he had a companion in his nostalgia. With Souji, revisiting places he'd been to with Michiko wasn't half as hard as he'd thought it'd be.

They walked down from the overlook and through the flood plain, reminiscing about the past. Together they made a visit to the Konishi family grave and had a long moment of silence. Then they headed back into town and discussed all their old friends. Ai Ebihara was now a dietician, which Yosuke didn't understand at all. Souji didn't know what had happened to Daisuke, but Kou had become an actor. And of their Investigation Team friends, Chie was a cop working with Naoto in a far away city. Rise had long since retired from the idol business and was living on royalties somewhere with Teddie.

And Nanako-chan was going to college in Okina city, but she lived in Inaba with her father and simply commuted to her classes.

"Speaking of her father," Souji said, "he should be home now. So... we can visit him anytime."

Yosuke heaved a sigh of inevitability. "All right. Let's go pick up Ki-kun. I'm sure Nanako-chan would like to meet him."

* * *

Dojima's hair was grayer than Yosuke remembered. It was the first thing he noticed. And there were many new lines of wear on his face. Age wasn't doing him any favors, compounded probably by stress from his line of work in the police force and his smoking habit.

He was friendly enough, though, inviting them all into the living room without question. Introductions were simple—Kichirou was the only one who didn't know anyone.

"All right, Ki-kun," said Yosuke, waving at Dojima. "This is Dojima-san, your Uncle Seta's uncle."

Dojima glanced at Souji. "If you're an uncle, then..." He shook his head. "I'm getting old."

"H-hello, Uncle Dojima!" Kichirou announced.

Souji snorted and laughed. Dojima gave the boy a bemused look but didn't bother to correct him.

"And, uhh," Yosuke continued, waving at the teenage girl sitting cross-legged at the tea table. "That's Nanako-chan. You've heard of her before, I know." He glanced at Souji, intending to share a significant look with him, but the guy was focused on the scene.

"Hey," said Nanako. She wore a pink sweater-jacket and her long brown hair was tied low in a spiky ponytail. She appraised the boy, looking him up and down, and then looked at Yosuke for an explanation.

"This is Kichirou-kun, my son," he said.

"U-umm," said Kichirou reluctantly, like he knew he was going to say something wrong. "A-aunt Nanako?"

Yosuke sighed. "You've confused him, Souji. Now he thinks everyone can be his aunt or uncle!"

Kichirou's face flushed. "I-I'm so—"

He was interrupted when Nanako slammed her fist into the table, rattling some spiked metal bracelets that clashed so horribly with Yosuke's image of Nanako that he had a minor brain meltdown on the spot.

"I'll be his aunt if he wants. Or big sis!"

There was a brief silence.

"You know," Souji eventually spoke up, "that thing they say about being able to choose your friends but not your family? I don't think it applies here. Kicchan can consider himself a part of my family if he wants to."

"Damn right!" Nanako declared.

"Don't swear in front of the kid," Dojima rebuked mildly.

"Whatever, pops," she said with a playful smile, and then there was a funny glint in her eye. "I learned from the best."

Dojima emitted an overdrawn sigh and covered his face with his hand.

"I can see you smiling, Uncle," Souji pointed out with a smile of his own.

"Yes, well," Dojima said in a brisk manner. "We have adult things to talk about. Nanako, why don't you take Kichirou-kun and... I don't know, show him some of your things."

"Sure thing," she trilled while she stood up. Yosuke noted with some concern that the glint in her eye was definitely still present when she swept Kichirou away into her room.

* * *

"So, your wife left you..." Dojima grunted. The three men were gathered around the kitchen table. "Rough business. Are you going to get divorced?"

Yosuke swallowed hard. "I... I'm not sure. She mentioned it, but she hasn't brought the paperwork to me yet... We might just stay estranged... I don't..."

"You don't want to let go," Dojima finished, his normally gruff voice surprisingly soft. "You should consider that it might end that way. At the same time, you should consider that it might not. If she came crawling back, would you take her back?"

"I told her I wouldn't, but... I might," Yosuke admitted. "I don't really know."

"On the other side of the spectrum: if she asked for a divorce, would you grant her one?"

He didn't answer. He didn't want to think about it. Mediation could take months and lawyer fees were not cheap. To put Kichirou through all of that... If she wanted one, he should just sign the paperwork and be done with it. A divorce by mutual consent would be for the best.

"I can give you the name of a good family divorce lawyer," Dojima offered. "You should at least have a consultation so that you understand what you could be getting into."

"Yeah..."

"Hanamura. I'm sorry to be so blunt. I can only give you practical advice." The detective held up his hands in a shrug. "It's just how I am."

"No, no, Dojima-san," Yosuke protested. "This is stuff I need to hear. Gotta get my head out of the clouds."

"As for raising your kid on your own..." Dojima sucked his teeth. He sighed. "Just... try to make time for him every day, all right? It's easy to say, 'I'll do it tomorrow,' and then say the same thing when tomorrow comes. Nanako grew up so quickly—I hardly noticed it."

Yosuke had hardly noticed it, too, and he was supposed to be her 'Yosuke-nii.' In college already, gosh... He vowed to do right by his son, because before he knew it, the kid would be in middle school, wouldn't he?

"He's doing a good job," Souji reported. "I'm making sure of that."

"Are you?" Dojima didn't seem surprised. "I was wondering what you've been up to. Been a while since you stopped by."

"Heh..." Souji rubbed the back of his neck, apparently embarrassed. "It's fun. Kicchan's a good boy."

Now Dojima was raising an eyebrow at his nephew. He, too, recognized that Souji was taking on the same role he had with Nanako-chan. "Well, don't get in Hanamura's way..."

"I won't—"

"He's not—"

Yosuke looked at Souji, who looked right back at him, equally embarrassed. Yosuke cleared his throat. "I'm glad to have him around. I work a lot, so..."

Dojima sighed. "Yeah, I know how that is. Hmm... If you ever need an emergency babysitter, Nanako sometimes takes on jobs like that. I'm sure she'd be glad to help."

"I'll keep it in mind," Yosuke promised.

* * *

When it was time to leave the Dojima residence later in the day, Yosuke called for Kichirou. The boy came out of Nanako's room wearing lacy underwear over his clothing and a bra on his head. There was also a spiked bracelet on his left wrist.

Yosuke stared, and Souji laughed so hard that tears came out of his eyes.

"Ah," said Dojima, seemingly unfazed by the boy's appearance. "I should have warned you. Nanako has inherited Souji's sense of humor."

"I-I see," Yosuke replied. "I, uh, I think Nanako-chan might need those, Ki-kun..."

The boy was blushing furiously. "Y-yeah, I'll, umm, give them back..."

They could hear Nanako giggling from her room. Yosuke shot Souji an amused look, and the guy just shrugged. And Kichirou could consider himself part of this family? Well, he supposed it could be worse.

He didn't notice until later that Nanako had let the boy keep the bracelet.

* * *

The train ride home felt longer than it actually was, mostly because Yosuke began to think things over during it. He should be considering Michiko, Dojima's advice, and the looming divorce, but his thoughts kept going back to the guy sitting next to him.

That urge he'd had last night... He didn't really want to kiss Souji, did he?

The train car grew crowded. At the next stop, the seat next to Yosuke became occupied, which led to him shuffling closer to Souji and settling his son in his lap. Now their shoulders were touching.

He was hyper-aware of every movement his friend made. When he scratched an itch, when he shifted in his seat, when he chuckled at a comment Kichirou made...

Yosuke rested his chin on his son's head while hugging the boy, and Souji smiled softly, apparently at the sight. His friend's approval meant more than it should. He could feel his face heating up.

Souji knew him better than anyone. Was it natural that this would happen? That he'd... get so attached to his best friend? It probably didn't help that he was living with them.

On the way home from the train station, Yosuke walked hand-in-hand with his son. He stayed quiet while Souji and Kichirou talked about some video game or something. He was lost in thought. Souji, his partner, Kichirou's cool uncle...

He was beginning to sweat, and it wasn't just the summer heat causing it.

"What do you think, Yosuke?"

Yosuke broke free of Kichirou's grasp in his surprise at being addressed. "Wh-what?"

"Since it's so late, I was thinking it might be okay to have takeout tonight," Souji explained. "Or maybe we can go to a restaurant. There's a Wild-duck Burger not far from here, I think."

"Oh, right..."

"I just don't want to cook so soon after our little vacation," Souji admitted. "Or do the dishes."

"It's fine, yeah," Yosuke replied.

"Are you all right? You've been kind of quiet this evening."

"Just tired," he lied. "I think I'll go to bed early tonight."

"I can give Kicchan a bath again if you need me to!"

Souji was smiling at him again. He had never smiled that much when they'd gone to high school together. Then again, they hadn't had a lot to smile about back then. But knowing that Souji was happy to be here with him and his son...

They ended up eating at that burger joint. During the meal, Yosuke took the opportunity to look at his friend, but gathering his thoughts was quite difficult—let alone analyzing them.

It just felt so natural for Souji to be here with him and his son. He really was like Kichirou's adopted second dad. And they got along so well...

"I wonder if it floats!" Souji was saying. He was holding up a squeaky duck toy that had come with Kichirou's kid's meal. "We'll find out later, hmm, Kicchan?"

He gave it a few playful squeezes, and Yosuke's eyes were drawn to it simply from the noise. Yosuke noticed that even after all these years, his friend had nice hands. Heck, overall he was a good-looking guy. Why was he single? The simplest answer was that he was too busy helping Yosuke raise Kichirou to have a life of his own. Or maybe he was taking a break from romance after the end of his engagement to his ex-fiancee. How long ago had that been, actually?

A nice guy like him shouldn't be single. It was a strong thought, and it made Yosuke bite the inside of his mouth hard.

"Yosuke? Are you not hungry? At least eat the fries!"

"Y-yeah, partner..." Yosuke ate a few fries in an attempt to appease his friend, but he really had no appetite.

He shouldn't be thinking like this about his best friend, who was so nice and so supportive and so cute...

"Oh, Dad, umm..."

Yosuke came down to earth to blink at his son. "Yeah?"

"Kanji-san said you used to dye your hair," Kichirou said. "Wh-what did it look like?"

"Oh, it was brown. Light brown. Orange, depending on the lighting." He'd actually intended it to be red, but when it turned out a bit orange, it had been cool enough with him. Better orange than magenta.

"You want to know?" Souji asked excitedly. He took out his cell phone. "I have pictures, wanna see?"

"You have pictures of me...?" Yosuke was taken aback.

"Not just you. All of us. I..." Souji looked sheepish for a moment. "Even when I get a new phone, I transfer all the pictures so I have them with me. A-anyway, here, Kicchan! Look, look!"

Kichirou looked at the phone's screen. "Dad, you look so different."

"How old is that picture, Souji?" Yosuke asked. "If it's from when you lived in Inaba, that was what, over twelve years ago? I hadn't even met your mom then, Ki-kun."

"Why are you wearing a skirt?" Kichirou asked.

"...What?"

Souji began to laugh, and Yosuke snatched the phone from him. Ah. He should've known. It was a picture of that stupid crossdressing pageant. Yosuke swiped the screen and found lots of pictures of the Investigation Team. Why Souji had chosen that one out of all of them to show his son...

He glared at Souji, but Souji's eyes were twinkling so brightly that he found himself blushing. He shook his head rapidly and handed the phone back to him.

While Souji began to show Kichirou other pictures, Yosuke sighed. Partner, really...

But things like that made the situation feel right. He and Souji had been friends for over twelve years. Best friends, even. Partners. Yosuke sighed again. If they were meant to be more than that, it would've happened a long time ago. Not now, not as a result of his broken marriage.

"I guess you're not going to finish that," Souji said. He helped himself to a handful of fries from Yosuke's plate and dropped them on his own. "Kicchan, help me finish his fries? Oh, you can't eat anymore? But I can't eat them all. No, no, that's fine, don't force yourself!"

Working on automatic, Yosuke took his tray to the trash can and threw out his uneaten food.

On the walk home, Souji sent him more than one concerned look. Finally Yosuke just told him that maybe he was coming down with something.

Back home, they watched a quiz show together, Yosuke focusing just enough to help them get a few answers right. He allowed Souji to take over the bathing duties for the night so that he could retire to his bedroom, where he remained awake, pacing the room, trying to figure it all out.

* * *

[Author's Note: Delinquent Nanako was inspired by this comic by undead-cypress:  
undead-cypress dot tumblr dot com/post/114277704009/i-support-delinquent-nanako-i-support-nanako]


	24. Chapter 24 - Kichirou 6

[Author's Note: Before you get to reading, check this out~  
surreyality drew some awesome fanart of Delinquent Nanako from the previous chapter!  
surreyality dot deviantart dot com/art/Delinquent-Nanako-537762757]

* * *

Kichirou had been back to school for two weeks now, and things could hardly have been better for him. Although his mom didn't live at home anymore, she'd visited a few times while Dad was at work, and she called him every week. Every time, he told her everything that was going on in his life, and she always listened, never sounding bored or uninterested like Hiroshi sometimes did. Yes, his mom was still part of his life, even if he didn't see her every day. She always assured him that she loved him, and he knew it was true.

And Kichirou had Uncle Seta, the best uncle, even if said uncle claimed that he didn't like Featherman. He still watched Featherman with him, anyway, and he often got pretty into the story, so he was probably just faking. Maybe Hiroshi was right and he was a little weird... Sometimes Uncle Seta would help him with his homework, or play games with him, or tell him stories. By now, often the stories were ones he'd already heard before, but Kichirou didn't complain. Uncle Seta was always so animated when he told them, and he made up different voices for every character that it was like a new experience every time.

And he had his dad, of course. When Dad got home from work, he always asked Kichirou how his day was. He'd often already told Uncle Seta all about it, but sometimes he'd forget something, or embellish a story just a little, like he was mimicking Uncle Seta. In fact, his uncle sometimes teased him about it later, but never in a bad way.

But his dad was acting differently ever since their vacation trip to Inaba. Kichirou didn't really understand. While doing his homework at the tea table one night, he'd caught his dad staring at Uncle Seta while the man was reading a book. And then Dad had sighed. And then Dad had noticed that Kichirou was watching him and his eyes had widened and he'd totally pretended that he hadn't been looking at Uncle Seta in the first place. His face had turned all pink...!

It was weird.

There were other things like that. He could see it easily now that he was looking for it. Dad was often sneaking glances at Uncle Seta at the dinner table, for example. It didn't seem like Uncle Seta noticed.

Kichirou wondered if he should bring it to his attention. But it might get awkward if he did. It happened with that pen, after all!

It was a hot night, and Kichirou had been eating ice cream at the tea table. His dad was there, too, working on paperwork. While Uncle Seta had excused himself to use the bathroom, Kichirou had seen Dad take Uncle Seta's pen and start using it.

"Daaaad," Kichirou whined. "Don't put it in your mouth!"

"Mmm?" his dad replied, his words muffled by said mouth being full. "What?"

"The pen! Don't put it in your mouth. That's gross!"

Dad took the item in question out of his mouth and looked at it as if wondering how it had even got there.

"Uncle Seta was chewing on that one earlier!" Kichirou told him. "Gross!"

Dad carefully put the pen back down on the table and picked up his own pen. But his face was definitely pink again.

"Why did you...?" Kichirou asked. "You already had a pen!"

"I-I guess I didn't see it," Dad replied.

"See what?" Uncle Seta had returned from the bathroom. He sat down at his place at the table, right across from Kichirou.

Kichirou pointed at his pen. "He used your pen!"

"It was an accident!" Dad claimed.

Uncle Seta looked puzzled for a moment, and then he shrugged. "Well, there are more in the drawer. It's not a big deal."

"Yeah, but—" Kichirou began.

"Hey, if you wait much longer," Dad interrupted, "your ice cream's going to be all melted."

Kichirou had been distracted by that, but he didn't forget.

Something fishy was definitely happening. Kichirou thought about watching Magical Detective Loveline to get some tips on figuring it out, but he didn't have the DVDs for that, and he was a little too embarrassed to ask for them, even if Uncle Seta was a huge fan.

He was just going to keep his eyes and ears open until he figured it out!

* * *

Around a week later, Kichirou came home from school and found Uncle Seta standing in front of the bookshelf, staring at it while he held a book in his hands. He didn't seem like he was reading the book or anything.

"Uhh... I'm home!" Kichirou announced.

Uncle Seta jumped and dropped the book. "O-oh! Kicchan!" He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "How was school today?"

"What's wrong, Uncle Seta?" Kichirou asked. He hadn't seen his uncle mess with the books like this in a while. Nor was he ever so clumsy as to drop a book like that. And his shoulders were drooping and...

The man looked down, his smile fading. He toed the book on the floor, his lower lip held in his teeth. "Kicchan—"

Kichirou walked over to him and hugged his legs.

Uncle Seta didn't react for a long moment, and then he bent down until he was crouching on the floor and took Kichirou in his arms. He patted the boy on the back. "Thank you, Kicchan. I needed that."

Kichirou felt Uncle Seta pull away, and now the man was smiling at him with actual happiness. Kichirou was glad to cheer him up, but he was still curious. "Really, Uncle Seta, what happened? Did you break a plate on accident?"

Dad had been breaking a lot of kitchenware lately, but only whenever Uncle Seta was teaching him to cook. They were down two ceramic plates and a dish-cover now. Dad never used to be this clumsy...

Uncle Seta chuckled and said, "I wish I knew what I'd done." He shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Kicchan. What do you have for homework today, hmm?"

He had a list of kanji to learn, so Uncle Seta helped him make flash cards and then tested him with them every so often throughout the rest of the afternoon.

He was reading from his literature book in the living room some time later when Uncle Seta suddenly said, "Hey, Kicchan, y-you know... I love you, okay? Don't forget that."

Kichirou blinked at him. "Uncle Seta...? Y-yeah, I love you too!" Then he smiled, and Uncle Seta smiled back.

"Sometimes I wonder how you're Yosuke's son," the adult muttered to himself. "How is the homework going?"

"Umm... I'm almost done. Have to do the workbook."

"...I should get dinner going while you work on that." Uncle Seta nodded to himself at the plan and then left the room.

Kichirou stared after him for a moment, and then went back to his homework. The sooner he got it done, the sooner he could play with his uncle and help cheer him up more!

* * *

It wasn't until his father came home from work later in the evening that he realized that something was wrong.

For starters, his dad wouldn't look at his uncle, which was way different from how he'd been just yesterday. And his uncle... Kichirou couldn't exactly tell. He seemed like he was trying to act normal, but he couldn't hide it, not when Kichirou was giving him a death glare! But Uncle Seta broke the gaze before he could get any answers.

The two adults weren't talking much, either. Had something happened? Were they fighting? The few times he'd witnessed a fight with his mom and dad, it had felt kind of like this afterward...

Well, whatever the case, he was sure they'd make up. They were partners!

...But he'd been sure that his mom would live with them forever, too...

As a result, the dinner table was unnaturally silent. Uncle Seta didn't ask Dad how his day at work had been. It was kind of a ritual by now that he'd ask. So Kichirou spoke up himself and asked instead. "D-Dad? How was work?"

Dad shrugged. "Just another day."

Kichirou waited, but his dad didn't say more. "No interesting customers today?" he tried.

"Well," his dad said without looking up from the plate of food that he was not eating. "Speaking of work..."

The boy stared at him, but then Uncle Seta cleared his throat. "Kicchan. I have some bad news."

Kichirou carefully set down his chopsticks. His uncle's voice was low, like he hadn't used it in a while. "U-Uncle Seta?"

Uncle Seta sighed. "I gotta go back to work. So... I'll have to leave soon."

Kichirou opened and closed his mouth soundlessly. He'd known on some level that Uncle Seta couldn't stay forever, but... he'd said before that he wouldn't leave...!

His uncle laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, hey, I'm not leaving today, Kicchan! Let's make sure to have lots of fun every day until then, all right?"

Kichirou looked up at him with misty eyes. The tears began to leak out, and then strong arms enveloped him as Uncle Seta drew him into a tight hug. "D-don't want you to leave," Kichirou whimpered.

"I know," Uncle Seta whispered back.

He tried to look up, but found that his uncle's eyes were focused on his Dad, who abruptly abandoned the kitchen.


	25. Chapter 25

[Author's Note: The first scene here is a small flashback-it happens before the conversation Souji and Kichirou had in the previous chapter. Hopefully it helps explain how Souji was acting there.]

* * *

_Yosuke walked into the living room after having put his son to bed. He sat on the couch. Souji was at the tea table, working on a picross puzzle from the newspaper. Yosuke combed fingers through his too-long hair repeatedly, psyching himself up for the conversation to come._

_Finally he couldn't bear it any longer and blurted it out. "Say, Souji... You've been with us for a while now... How long did you plan on staying?"_

_Souji turned his head towards Yosuke, his pen pausing over the paper. "I never gave it much thought." He paused for a moment and then smiled. "As long as you need me."_

_The smile was so soft and disarming—it almost made Yosuke give up on the spot. _

_Almost._

_"W-well," he said, hunching his shoulders determinedly. "I... I think Ki-kun and I are doing okay now, and his summer break is over, so..."_

_Souji blinked, his smile vanishing. He set the pen down, and it rolled off the table, unnoticed by either of them. "What are you saying?" he asked._

_Yosuke took a deep breath and looked down at his fidgeting hands before facing his friend. "I'd like to see... if I can handle living on my own."_

_Souji stared at him, no longer blinking. "You... you want me to leave?"_

_"Not tonight or anything," Yosuke amended quickly, "but... I-I mean, it's great having you around, but I've got to start taking responsibility. I can't rely on you for everything."_

_"I thought..." Souji began, then he shook his head. "Are... are you sure? I can stay with you longer, Yosuke."_

_Yosuke met his friend's eyes, although it was difficult. Souji seemed worried. Of course he was worried—that was the sort of friend he was. And the request was sudden. They'd never talked about it before._

_Swallowing the lump in his throat, Yosuke nodded. "I'm sure."_

_Souji leaned back and didn't respond immediately. "If that's what you want," he finally said with a shrug. "It's your house, after all. But what will I tell Kicchan?"_

* * *

Yosuke didn't want Souji to leave. Heck, it might have been the last thing on Earth that he wanted.

But after weeks of thinking about it almost non-stop, he'd come to the conclusion that he was rebounding onto his best friend, and he simply couldn't do that to him. Souji meant to much to him to allow himself to think of him that way.

The easiest way to head off this rebound was to ask Souji to go home. If he didn't see Souji every day, these weird feelings would go away. Out of sight, out of mind. It was as simple as that.

So here he was today with Souji and Kichirou on the train platform, seeing the man off into the wild frontier, or wherever he was going. He hadn't really said. Somewhere, anywhere away from Yosuke's heart.

"Take care of yourself, Yosuke," Souji admonished while they waited for the train. "Call me whenever you want, all right? I think you're going to be okay, but... don't be afraid to reach out!"

"Y-yeah," Yosuke replied quietly. "I will. I'll call."

"And you, Kicchan!" Souji said, turning to the boy. "You can call me anytime, too, okay? Do you have my number?"

"N-no," the boy admitted. "Well, I wrote it down a long time ago, but I lost the paper."

"Do you have your phone with you? No? Well, your dad can give you the number when you get home, but... Actually, I know a way you'll never lose it!" Souji proceeded to sing his number to a tune that Yosuke didn't know but that Kichirou seemed to, since the boy soon began to sing along.

The end of the song ended in a cough as Kichirou began to cry.

Souji pulled the boy into a hug, Yosuke watching over them in helpless distress. It was difficult enough for him to see Souji off, but he certainly hadn't given enough thought to how hard it would be for his son...

"I won't say 'don't cry,'" Souji murmured to him. "You shouldn't hide it when you're sad. Cry as much as you want, okay? I promise I'll visit again soon." He brought out his handkerchief and had the boy blow his nose on it. "You're a good boy, Kicchan. When I visit again I'm sure I'll have a lot more stories to tell you."

Kichirou was too choked up to answer, but he managed a nod.

Watching them together, Yosuke's heart felt like it was in a vice. It begged him to reconsider and tell Souji not to go. To just tell him about the feelings he was burying within.

He didn't deserve to be Souji's partner. And Kichirou... It was like losing his mom all over again, he'd become so close to his 'uncle.' Yosuke wanted to break down and cry, too.

The train arrived, and moments later a boarding announcement blared out.

"K-keep in contact, partner," Yosuke said. He took his sniffling son's hand so he wouldn't try to run after his uncle when he boarded the train.

Souji gave Yosuke one last appraising look before picking up his suitcase and entering the train.

As the train smoothly went on its way, Yosuke expected to feel some measure of relief—no chance of rebounding onto his friend now!—but he wasn't reassured in the least.

* * *

Kichirou was nearly inconsolable. He spent the rest of the day moping about in his room. Not playing any games, just sort of sitting there on his futon.

Yosuke didn't feel much better himself. All too soon it was apparent how empty his house was with only the two of them. Heck, just seeing that empty spot in the living room where the spare futon should be. It had almost become a feature of the room.

When he opened the fridge and saw the box of worms it affected him almost as much as that stupid shrimp pizza had, so many months ago...

He threw it out in the trash.

Couldn't let himself dwell on this. Michiko was gone. Souji was gone. It was time to get his life back on track on his own merits.


	26. Chapter 26

Yosuke adjusted the strap under Kichirou's chin, ensuring the boy's bike helmet would stay on. "You're all set, kiddo!"

"Thanks, Dad!" Kichirou hopped onto his red and black bike and waited for his dad to get on his own.

Soon they were speeding down the park's winding bike trail. Yosuke had the bikes fixed up just for this. He'd been urged by a coworker to get active, more for his mental health than anything. He'd finally confided in a coworker that his wife had left him. The man had been surprised. 'You always seemed so happy together,' he'd said.

Well, appearances could be deceiving.

Regardless, once or twice a week, he'd take Kichirou to the bike trail at the park. It allowed him forget his troubles for a little while at least.

"Dad! Did you see that?"

Kichirou slowed down. "What was it?" Yosuke asked, pulling up beside him on his bike.

"Something ran into the woods. Maybe it was a deer!"

Yosuke laughed. "What, are we back in Inaba all of a sudden? Probably a bird or something."

"It was pretty big, Dad!"

"All right, I trust you. Now let's get moving!"

Moving forward. It was all he could really do. It wasn't easy, being a single father. A rough day at work was made rougher when he came home and had to cook and clean. His primary source of happiness was his son. He loved hearing how the boy's day at school had been and what games he had been playing with his friends. The boy seemed to be holding up all right, although he spent more time over at Hiroshi's place now than he had when Souji had been around. They were a functional family unit, just the two of them.

The bike trail led to a bridge over a river, and here they stopped to feed some scraps to the fish below. "Look at the turtle, Dad!"

A turtle was competing with the fish for the scraps. "It's a pretty big one," Yosuke observed.

"Don't say that!" Kichirou scolded. "It might be a princess."

Yosuke patted the boy's head in amusement, and they watched the turtle lazily swim around with the fish.

When he was with Kichirou, everything was fine. But when he was alone, that's when loneliness threatened to swallow him up. He missed his wife, yes, but more often, he wished Souji was still home with him. His best friend and partner... Despite his best efforts, he kept wondering what might have happened if he'd kissed Souji or otherwise confessed. How would the man have reacted?

Souji's kindness towards him was borne out of a deep friendship. These thoughts were a betrayal of that friendship, so Yosuke cut off his line of thinking right there. It was too dangerous a path to go down. But he was also Yosuke, and when his mind was stuck on something, it just wouldn't let go. He thought of Souji every single day, remembered his soft smile and his supportive words, recalled how the man loved Ki-kun as if the boy was his own son...

Yosuke sighed to himself at the bridge's railing. He was pretty sure it wasn't a simple rebound anymore.

"All right, Dad, that's all the leftovers. See you next week, Princess!" Kichirou called down to the turtle.

After waving goodbye to the turtle at his son's request, Yosuke helped the boy onto his bike, and together they headed home.

* * *

One early-autumn afternoon Yosuke found his son just sort of lying there on his futon with his arm draped over his face. Something was obviously wrong: normally at this time he'd be doing homework or playing a game or reading or something. He could've simply had a rough day at school, but school had let out hours ago. If that was the case, he should have recovered by now.

"Ki-kun? Are you all right?" Yosuke asked from the doorway.

The boy shifted his arm enough to peer at him through the crick in his elbow. "Dad..."

Yosuke moved next to the futon. "You can talk to me, you know."

Kichirou grimaced and looked away.

Dammit, his son was too young to start being rebellious!

"Well, is there anything special you want for dinner?" Yosuke asked.

"...don't care..."

"Then we'll have natto."

"Daaaad!" his son protested.

It was a joke, but Yosuke was grateful to get a rise out of the boy. Seeing him like this was painful.

At dinner, which ended up being pork sukiyaki, Kichirou was still looking depressed, so Yosuke suggested he invite Hiroshi to come over after school tomorrow to cheer him up. To his complete surprise, his son sniffled and began to cry.

"H-hey! Did something happen?" Yosuke asked, dropping his chopsticks in alarm.

"W-we're not friends anymore!" Kichirou cried. He wiped his eyes and large tears fell onto the tabletop.

"Wh-why not?"

"He told everyone I don't have a mom!"

Yosuke stood up immediately and hovered around his crying son with no idea how to comfort him on this. That little asshole, he thought. "Hey, hey... You can't be the only one missing a parent," he tried.

"Everyone treats me different now," the boy mumbled. "I hate it. I hate everyone at school."

"Everyone?" Yosuke asked. "Even your homeroom teacher?" From the way he'd spoken of her before, Kichirou had seemed like he'd had a crush on her.

"Especially her."

Well, so much for that crush. "Do you need me to talk to her?" Yosuke suggested.

"No!" the boy shouted. "No," he repeated, quieter now.

"Your classmates will get over it soon," Yosuke tried to tell him, but the boy didn't look comforted by that fact, so he proceeded to tell him a story about a time when he'd felt angry at all his friends back when he was a kid. By the end, the boy was smiling again, and Yosuke rubbed his back and hugged him close at the kitchen table.

But then the boy asked about his mom, since those were the same questions his classmates had asked him. Why she was living away from them. When she'd come live with them again.

Tell him the truth, Souji had advised, so Yosuke did, explaining it as well as he could. That sometimes people who love each other will hurt each other without realizing it, or maybe even on purpose. Sometimes, he said, there's more hurt than love, and sometimes maybe it's best just to let the person go. "Right now you're mad at Hiroshi-kun, right? I don't think you hate him."

Kichirou didn't answer.

"It's okay if you're mad at Mom, too, for leaving… If she was still here, this wouldn't have happened, right?"

He saw a twinge of guilt flash across the boy's face. Yeah, he had thought that.

"It's okay if you're mad at me," Yosuke added. "I can take it. I'm an adult. And I'll still love you, okay?" He pulled the boy's head to his chest and messed up his hair.

Kichirou murmured a protest, but didn't stop him.

"Anyway," Yosuke went on, "what I was trying to say is, Mom might not be happy with me, or living with us anymore, but she does love you, okay?" It felt weird talking to his boy about abstract things like love, but who else was going to teach him?

"Y-yeah. Actually, Dad, umm…" The boy turned his head to look up at him. His dark eyes focused intently on his face.

"Yes, Ki-kun?"

"Mom visits sometimes while you're at work, and she calls me every week. So..."

"Yeah. That's good," Yosuke said emphatically. He was glad to know she was still visiting their son, even if she had nothing to say to him. "I told you. She loves you."

Kichirou leaned into Yosuke. He mumbled against his chest: "A-and I love you, Dad..."

* * *

Regardless of whether or not Kichirou wanted Yosuke to talk to his homeroom teacher, Yosuke found himself in contact with her. She called him one evening right after dinner, introducing herself as from the elementary school.

"What can I do for you?" Yosuke asked.

"I have some concerns regarding Kichirou-kun. You see, Hanamura-san, he was in a fight today…"

"Wh-what!?"

She didn't go into detail, instead requesting to schedule a time in which she could visit to discuss the issue in person.

Yosuke spent the rest of the evening industrially cleaning the living room to prepare for said visit. Kichirou asked him what he was doing and then looked scared when Yosuke told him that his teacher was coming over. He didn't press the boy, recalling how he'd never wanted to talk to his parents about problems at school when he was a kid.

Kichirou's teacher was a well-dressed woman who seemed to be in her late thirties or maybe early forties. She wore glasses with small oval lenses and her brown hair was in a bun. Yosuke ushered her into the living room and seated her at the tea table, then offered her coffee as a refreshment, which she accepted with cream.

Once the pleasantries had been dispensed with, she got down to business. "Kichirou-kun seems to be having some difficulty getting along with his peers."

"Is he being disruptive in class?" Yosuke asked, having his own difficulty imagining any such scenario, but... he'd never seen his son interact with other children his age aside from Hiroshi, so it wasn't impossible.

"Not exactly," she said. She pulled out a paper from the folder she'd carried in and handed it to him.

It was a very stylized drawing of a dinosaur—a tyrannosaurus rex—with a kid on its back. The dinosaur was rather gleefully, by the smile on its face, stomping down on another kid. An arrow pointing to the dying kid labeled him as Hiroshi-kun. The drawing was definitely done in Kichirou's art style. Obviously, the boy hadn't made up with his friend yet.

Looking more closely, the tyrannosaurus seemed like it had gray hair. Yosuke wanted to laugh, but this was a serious matter to the teacher present. "I see," he said neutrally. "You mentioned yesterday that he got into a fight. Was it with Hiroshi-kun?"

She nodded. "It didn't come to blows, but there was pushing involved and name-calling. Kichirou-kun is normally well-behaved. We were wondering what may have caused this change."

Yosuke blinked down at the drawing. Kichirou showed a strong face, but Michiko's absence must be affecting him more than he let on. Perhaps Souji's presence had been a calming influence on the boy as well. "We are going through a tough time," Yosuke admitted, "but he just wants to be treated like a normal boy. When people think of him as 'that boy without a mom' it's not going to help." He felt the need to defend his son. He himself had hated being labeled 'Junes Boy,' after all.

She pursed her lips and her face flushed a little. Ah, so she had been guilty of treating him differently as well. No wonder that crush was over.

"The Ito family and I have been friends for a few years. I'll talk to them," Yosuke promised. "And I'll talk to my son, too, of course."

She went on to discuss Kichirou's academic standing, which was actually better than Yosuke's had been at his age. He was just a hair above average. She suggested looking into a cram school if it seemed the boy needed something to keep himself occupied.

After she left, Yosuke went to Kichirou's room and knocked on the door—he'd had the boy stay there with the door closed, knowing he'd eavesdrop otherwise. "Dad?" the boy said apprehensively.

Yosuke opened the door and found his son sitting on his futon, looking dejected. "Hey, champ, it's all right," he said soothingly. He sidled up next to the boy and put his arm around him. "You're doing good in school. I'm proud of you, you know!"

"Y-yeah?" The boy looked up at him.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "But... don't let Hiroshi-kun get to you, okay? I know you want to punch him for some of the things he's said, but you've got to hold back, okay?"

"Yeah..."

"Also, Ki-kun... Have you talked to Uncle Seta about this?" Souji probably had great advice to impart that Yosuke would never think of.

"Yeah!" the boy declared. "He said that when I'm angry I should find something else to do. So I've been drawing! But Hiroshi-kun saw it and he got mad and..." Kichirou hung his head.

Oh, so it was Souji's fault he'd drawn that picture. "And then Hiroshi-kun told the teacher. I got it. Hey, if you're interested, Ki-kun, I can send you to an after-school art class."

Kichirou blinked at him. "R-really?"

He nodded. "Really," he promised. "Just let me know, okay?"

He turned away to head out of the room when his son whispered at him. "Hey, Dad...? Uncle Seta, umm, he..."

Yosuke paused and looked behind him. "Yeah?"

Kichirou was looking down at his hands now. "N-nevermind."

"You can tell me," Yosuke prompted. Isn't that what Souji would say in this situation? "Ki-kun, if you ever have anything to say..."

"It's just... I just wish he didn't live so far away," Kichirou admitted. "At least I see Mom sometimes..."

Yosuke stepped forward and sat next to the boy on his futon. "You miss him, huh...?"

His son nodded, and Yosuke put his arm around his shoulder, trying hard not to think about how much he missed Souji, too.

* * *

Yosuke bit his fingernail while he observed the two boys, Hiroshi and Kichirou, sitting across from each other at the tea table, ostensibly working on homework. Neither was getting any work done, however, because they were too busy glaring daggers at each other. Getting these kids to make up was going to take some doing, but he'd promised Ito-san he had a plan.

"H-homework can wait," he announced, stepping into their sight. He was carrying a big white sheet he'd taken out of the hall closet. "It's time for us to make a couch fort!"

"Couch fort!?" Kichirou exclaimed.

"Why?" Hiroshi asked.

"Because you're going to be attacked soon," Yosuke answered. "You'd better be ready to defend yourself!"

Hiroshi glanced at Kichirou for an answer, but the boy was swiftly putting away their school supplies. Then he was eagerly taking the sheet out of Yosuke's hand and draping it over the sofa's back. "Hiro-kun, don't just stand there like an idiot, help me!" He aired out the sheet to make a point. It wasn't reaching the far end of the table like it was supposed to.

"Don't call me an idiot!" Hiroshi retorted. "Stupid, you can do it yourself!" He grabbed an empty plastic cup and used it to anchor one end of the sheet and shot his ex-friend an 'I told you so' look.

Kichirou tugged hard on the sheet and the cup wasn't enough to hold it down.

"You boys better hurry it up!" Yosuke warned them. "Do you call that a fort? I call that a sheet on the couch, that's what I call it. You didn't even prop up the pillows!"

"Dad! You could help us!" Kichirou pointed out.

"Help? I'm the lookout." He turned his back to the boys and prayed to any god listening that this plan was going to work.

"...What is he looking out for?" He heard Hiroshi whisper behind him.

"O-only a few more minutes!" Yosuke said, looking down at his watch to try and emphasize that they should get to work.

"Your dad's weirder than your uncle," Hiroshi commented dryly.

"He is not!" Kichirou shouted.

Please don't get into a fight, please, Yosuke mentally begged. Better not chance the argument escalating, he decided. Time to enact the next part of the plan.

While the boys were still bickering, he sneaked into his son's room and snatched up the Featherman mask from where it was hanging on the door and donned it. Then he took out a bunch of bean bag animals from a drawer and carried them back to the living room.

"That's not how it's supposed to—" Hiroshi had been saying until he was beaned in the head by a bean bag husky dog. "HEY!"

"This fort is mine!" Yosuke shouted madly. He threw another bean bag at Hiroshi and then at his son, to be equal-opportunity.

"Daaaad!" Kichirou protested, but he was laughing.

"Who's 'Dad'?" Yosuke said. "I'm, uh, Red Mask, the, uh, Mighty, and I'm taking this fort, no kids allowed!"

"No way!" said Hiroshi, but Yosuke pelted him again.

"Here, Hiro-kun!" Kichirou said, tossing Hiroshi a dart gun. Ah, he'd found it. Yosuke had hidden it under the table earlier. "Fight back while I get the pillows up!"

"O-okay," the other boy said. He took aim at Yosuke and the dart hit him square in the face. Thankfully he was wearing the mask!

Yosuke soon ran out of bean bags, but Kichirou began to throw back the ones on his side at him. They all had fun throwing back and forth like that for several minutes until Yosuke gave up because the odds were against him, anyway.

"You're better with the dart gun than I am," Hiroshi admitted while they were catching their breaths.

"Y-yeah?" said Kichirou. "You were pretty good with the pillow!" He'd been holding a pillow up as a shield to defend against Yosuke's bean bags.

Yosuke took off the mask and put it safely to the side. "So... are you two friends again? You worked pretty well together!"

"Aww, Daaaad," Kichirou whined.

Hiroshi's face darkened and he looked away.

"Come on, Hiroshi-kun," Yosuke said. "You wouldn't have even come over today if you didn't want to. You both need to apologize. You both hurt each other, and that's wrong."

There was a very long, awkward silence. Then Kichirou said, very quietly, "I'm sorry I drew a dinosaur crushing you..."

"I'm sorry I told everyone about your mom..."

"Friends?" Yosuke prompted.

Kichirou held out his hand, and Hiroshi took it, and Yosuke let out his breath in relief.

"And I do have a mom," Kichirou said solemnly. "She might not live here, but she loves me and I do have her. Look, I even have her phone number." Kichirou took his cell phone out of his school bag and showed it to his friend.

"I know," Hiroshi mumbled. "You were so happy when she called, it bothered me... B-but I didn't mean t-to hurt you..."

Hiroshi was sniffling now, and Kichirou hugged his friend. "It-it hurt a lot," Kichirou admitted.

Soon they were both crying against each other and apologizing over and over again.

* * *

[Author's Note: The turtle princess comment refers to a Japanese legend. Look up Urashima Tarō for more information. ]


	27. Chapter 27 - Kichirou 7

Kichirou sat at the tea table in the living room. He was lucky; there hadn't been much homework today. He'd finished it all in record speed. And he hadn't cheated! Uncle Seta would've been proud.

Speaking of Uncle Seta... Kichirou still had a few hours before Dad came home. With nothing left to do, he sent a quick text message to his favorite uncle to ask if he could call. It didn't take long for him to receive the okay. While waiting for him to pick up, Kichirou absently hummed the tune from Endless Dreamer that went with the number.

"Hello, Kicchan~ How are things?"

Kichirou grinned to himself. He missed Uncle Seta a lot, but the man let him call pretty much whenever he wanted to. It was great! Even if his voice sounded funny through the phone. "I'm okay, Uncle Seta! H-how about you?"

"I'm cooking dinner," Uncle Seta replied. "Can you guess what it is? Here's a hint: it uses soy sauce."

"That's not fair, Uncle Seta!" Kichirou exclaimed. "Lots of things use soy sauce. Umm... Is it teriyaki chicken?"

"Try again!"

"Soup?"

"Nope! Here's another hint: the meat is not chicken or beef. And your dad would love it."

"Oh! Is it, umm... Ginger pork? Yeah? Maybe I'll ask Dad to make that, too! Then it'll be like we're all eating it!"

"That's really cute, Kicchan. Has he been cooking a lot for you? I'm glad he hasn't forgotten everything I taught him."

"We had a new recipe last night. It was Italian! I helped him make the sauce."

"That's great, Kicchan. You can tell him I'm... I'm proud of him. Just like I'm proud of you!"

"Huh?" Kichirou blinked at the phone. "Dad still hasn't called you...?"

"Don't worry about it, Kicchan!" Uncle Seta said, sounding maybe too cheerful. "Now what did you call for? Did you finish your homework? Or is Hiro-chan causing problems again? That boy! The next time I visit you guys, he is going to hear it from me, I promise."

"N-no, it's okay, Uncle Seta!" Kichirou protested. "He's still my friend."

"If you say so!"

They talked for several more minutes until Kichirou heard the front door open. "Oh, Dad's home early!" he said. "I'll talk to you later, Uncle Seta!"

"I'll look forward to it," his uncle promised.

"Daaaad," Kichirou called from his room after putting away his phone. "Can we have ginger pork for dinner?"

There wasn't an answer. Kichirou shuffled off of his futon and headed into the living room, where he stopped dead in his tracks.

Mom was home!

She opened her arms at the sight of him, and he immediately went into them. She held him close, pulling him onto the living room couch.

"M-Mom," he said pulling back to look up at her face. "You've come again..."

"I wanted to see you again," she said softly. "My darling."

He cuddled up close to her. "How long are you gonna be here?" he asked, although he already knew the answer. An hour or two at most. She didn't want to see Dad, so she'd leave before he came home from work.

"I don't know if your father will want me to stay for dinner," she said, stroking his hair.

He looked up at her excitedly. "Dinner? I can cook yakisoba! Dad taught me. B-but he doesn't let me cook without him, so... Well, you can watch over me, right? I'll cook for you, Mom!"

She smiled at him. "Don't worry. It's not that I'm hungry, but I wanted to speak with your father. And I know you usually eat dinner right after he comes home."

"Oh." Kichirou looked down, not sure how to feel. If they were going to talk, then... He looked up and into her eyes. "Mom, are you and Dad going to get a divorce?" Neither of his parents had used that word before, at least not in his hearing, but he knew it was out there, just waiting to be said.

"Kicchan," she murmured. "I know it's hard for you to see your father and me living apart like this. But I believe it's better this way. Is there anything I can do to make it easier for you?"

"You don't love Dad anymore?"

Mom's face tightened. "I do care about him, Kicchan. That's why I'm staying with you until he comes home tonight. We have things to talk about."

"Dad hides it, but he's really, really sad. When we're playing games and things, he's happy and he smiles, but when we're not, his face is all like this." Kichirou put on a sad face to demonstrate.

"Then seeing me today is not going to help." She sighed. "I thought he'd be doing better by now..."

"I think he really misses you... and Uncle Seta, too."

Mom tilted her head. "That's right. I was wondering where Seta-san is. He's not here any more?"

"He had to go back to work. I miss him," Kichirou admitted, "but it's been okay because I call him all the time! But you know, umm, Dad hasn't called him since he left, and that was a long time ago." He frowned, because Uncle Seta had sounded so strange when he'd told Kichirou that over the phone.

"That's very unlike him," Mom agreed, her own mouth turning down. "Seta-san is a very compassionate person. I was glad that he had come to help your father out."

"I love Uncle Seta!" Kichirou announced. He sighed. "I wish all four of us could live together..."

His mother laughed and rubbed his head. "I don't think the house can fit that many people. It's very simple, darling. If your father isn't calling him, he should call your father."

"I'll tell him!" Kichirou promised. "If only he didn't live so far away. I can call, but I want to see him. I don't want it to be another year..."

"Tell him that, too," she suggested.

"I have! He promised it wouldn't be a year. Maybe he can come over on Labor Thanksgiving Day?"

"I don't know him that well, darling."

"O-oh, yeah." In his excitement, Kichirou had forgotten that Uncle Seta was his dad's friend, not his mom's. But Mom liked him, anyway. And he thought it went both ways. Uncle Seta had offered to cook for her the few times she'd visited Kichirou while he was staying here... which might have been partly what inspired the boy to offer to cook today.

"Kichirou-kun," she said, abruptly calling him by his full name. She was biting her lower lip. "If your father and I do end up divorced, remember that we both love you more than anything. I know it won't be easy, but I don't want to hurt you. I'll always be your mother." She hugged him very tight all of a sudden.

"C-can you tell Dad that?" he asked.

"I'll try," she promised.


	28. Chapter 28

[Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews-you are too kind! You've really made my day :) I feel too flattered!]

* * *

Yosuke had been under the impression that he wasn't going to see Michiko again, and yet here she was on his couch, their son held in her arms. Kichirou was gripping her dress, and Michiko swallowed before speaking. "Yosuke..."

He wiped his face. "Michiko. Did you bring the paperwork?"

She stared for a moment, and then she shook her head. "Oh, no. That's not what I'm here for today. I wanted to see how you are doing."

"We're doing as well as can be expected." Yosuke shrugged. "...What do you want me to say?"

Her neutral expression turned into a grimace. She was about to speak when Kichirou announced, "Mom wants to stay for dinner!"

She blinked at the boy for his outburst. Yosuke was taken aback, too. "I wanted to talk to you about Kicchan," she explained. "That's all. You don't need to feed me."

"You can stay if you want," he said, though he was sure he'd regret it. It wasn't like he could win her back with his cooking. "We were only going to have stir fry."

"Well, all right," she said hesitantly.

"Fine. It shouldn't take too long. Just wait here, I guess. Ki-kun, come on, help me make it."

The boy followed him into the kitchen. He didn't bother to get changed out of his work clothes, just went ahead and opened a cabinet. While he pulled the wok out, Kichirou asked him if they could have ginger pork for dinner instead.

"Why that?" Yosuke muttered distractedly, now seeking the cooking oil. He was trying not to think about what Michiko might want from him, but it wasn't working.

He snorted lightly as it came to mind that maybe Michiko wanted ginger pork. The thought wasn't funny at all.

"Uncle Seta's having ginger pork," Kichirou answered, "so I thought we could, too."

Kichirou was looking at him so hopefully... How did he know that Souji was having that for dinner? Had the boy called him, or had he called the boy...? Yosuke shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ki-kun. We don't have enough pork for that tonight."

Kichirou's face fell. "Oh..."

Yosuke couldn't let him remain disappointed. "We can have it tomorrow," he offered. "I'll stop by the store after work. How's that sound?"

Now the boy was grinning at him. "Thanks, Dad!"

After shooting a small smile back at him, Yosuke turned to the counter. "So, stir fry..."

Despite his nerves being shot due to Michiko's presence—even if she wasn't in the same room—he managed to make an acceptable beef stir fry. Only the very bottom vegetables in the wok ended up burnt. He avoided serving these, and he'd worry about scraping the wok clean later, after he learned what his wife was really here for.

"Let your mom know dinner is ready," he told Kichirou after he set the plates out. The boy nodded and left the room and came back with Michiko in tow. She hesitated a moment before taking the spot at the table that had once belonged to her.

To head off the awkward silence, Yosuke asked Kichirou about his day at school. The boy glanced from him to Michiko before telling him about some argument he'd got into with his best friend. "He said that White Swallow is going to die in the next movie!"

"How does he know?" Yosuke asked. "Has he seen the movie?"

"No!" Kichirou said. "He says his grandpa works for them, so he knows."

"Well, you know how Hiroshi-kun is," Michiko commented. "You should see the movie with him when it comes out so you can be there when he's proven wrong."

"Yeah," said Yosuke uncertainly. This conversation was too normal, considering the situation. He didn't end up eating much of his dinner, even after Michiko remarked that the stir fry was very good. Kichirou practically glowed from the compliment although he hadn't done much to help cook it. Getting the ingredients from the fridge was hardly cooking! As cute as that was, it didn't do much to lighten Yosuke's dread.

After clearing the dishes when the meal was over, Yosuke told Kichirou that he should give them some privacy to talk, and the boy went reluctantly to his room. Yosuke made sure that the boy's door was closed before returning to the kitchen, retaking his seat at the table, and facing the inevitable.

"All right," Yosuke said. "What exactly do you want, Michiko?"

Michiko pressed her fingers together on the table and then spread them. "I understand that Kicchan is doing well in school," she began. "And he seems to be doing well enough here."

"He'd be happier if you were still here," Yosuke told her bluntly. "But he's doing okay, yeah."

A silence elapsed. Michiko seemed unwilling to speak.

"You don't love me anymore," Yosuke said quietly.

Although her expression became remorseful, she didn't deny it. Instead, she sighed.

"Is there anything I could have done?" he pressed. "If I'd kissed you more, if I'd told you I loved you more often, if I'd taken you out more... would it have made a difference?"

"Don't ask me that, Yosuke," she said, finally finding her voice.

"But why? ...Is there another man?"

"There is no other man. Don't ask, please."

Whether to be angry or sad? His mind couldn't seem to make itself up. His eyes welled up with tears, but he was able to blink them away. She really... she really didn't love him...

"I want to see Kicchan more often," she told him. "That's why I am here."

"Yeah," he squeaked. He cleared his throat. "I suppose... we need to set up a visitation schedule. I mean, you can keep coming over to see him by surprise like this, it doesn't bother me that much, to be honest."

"It might cause problems down the line," she said. "And I would like to take him out over weekends sometimes. We should consider the holidays as well."

With almost mechanical movements, Yosuke took the calendar down from the wall. After about half an hour, they'd hashed out a schedule for the next few months that they were both mostly content with.

"That's it, then," Yosuke muttered when they were done.

She nodded at him, a short, sharp action.

"But..." he began. "What about you? How are you doing...? Ki-kun said you had a job..."

"Don't worry about me, Yosuke. Worry about yourself." She glanced down at the calendar and back up at him again. "I'm sorry, but this is how it's going to be."

He nodded, although he still didn't understand. "I'll be okay," he said, his tongue thick in his mouth.

She leaned forward. "Yosuke. I know you don't want to hear this from me, but don't give up on your own happiness. And don't forget that you have friends."

"I know that," he said, resentment plain in his tone.

Michiko gave him a wan smile, and then told him she wanted to spend a little more time with Kichirou this evening. She left him in the kitchen, and after staring blankly after her for a very long moment, he copied the calender dates they'd marked out into his personal planner so that he wouldn't forget them.

Some time later, Michiko passed by the kitchen's doorway on her way out. The look she gave him was altogether too pitying. He felt sick to his stomach. She didn't say anything, just headed out the front door. He heard the door shut and stared off into space.

He remained in his own little world until Kichirou wandered into the kitchen. He blinked himself out of his stupor. "Yeah, son?" he managed to say, his voice dry.

"Are you all right, Dad?" Kichirou asked.

"I'm supposed to be asking you that, Ki-kun," Yosuke told him.

"I'm okay," the boy reported. "Mom said I'm going to see her more, so... but... I know that's going to be sad for you."

"Ki-kun," Yosuke murmured. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Kichirou walked up and gave him a hug. "Don't worry, Dad! I'm here for you."

Yosuke hugged him back.


	29. Chapter 29

'Dad, are you happy?'

Kichirou had asked that question this morning when Yosuke had helped the boy get ready for school. It had come out of nowhere, and he hadn't been able to answer it at the time—he'd just brushed it off by changing the subject.

But now it was on his mind while he was at work.

He didn't have an answer for his son. 'Yes' was a lie and a 'no' would only make the kid worry about him, and he didn't want that. Though knowing Ki-kun, he might be worrying anyway...

The truth was that overall, Yosuke wasn't happy. Who would be? His wife had left him! Even if he and Michiko were speaking civilly to each other the rare times they saw each other, the relationship was over. She wasn't coming back.

On the bright side, if it could be called that, Yosuke had finally gotten into the swing of this single dad life. Get up early, make breakfast, and get his son up and ready for school, then survive another long day of work, come home and make dinner, make sure Ki-kun did his homework... Depending on how late it was—and how exhausted Yosuke was by then—they'd ride their bikes at the park or watch some TV or play a game together. The weekends became dedicated to cleaning and shopping. And then the week would start over again, and... the cycle repeated.

At work, one of the guys offered to take Yosuke out to the local bar, but he'd declined. He wasn't much of an alcohol drinker, but more importantly, he wasn't ready to look for someone new.

Not when the divorce wasn't finalized.

...Not when Souji was still on his mind.

Souji had been calling now. Trying to, at least. Yosuke couldn't manage to bring himself to answer the phone whenever he saw that name on the screen. His heart would beat too fast, his chest would feel so tight. He was still far too afraid of what he might say to his best friend.

But Souji never left a message, so Yosuke found it easy enough to pretend that he hadn't been available to answer the call, that he just hadn't had any time to return it. Yes, it was an easy lie to tell himself, even as the days turned into weeks...

* * *

"I'm home!" Yosuke called.

He frowned at the lack of response, but thought nothing of it, thinking his son might be in the bathroom.

He entered the kitchen to find a note on the table. It turned out that his in-laws had taken Kichirou to their own home and would return him at the end of the week.

Yosuke was incensed. This was ridiculous! They could have called and asked to see him. They could have just come over to visit, too. Yosuke wouldn't have minded coming home to surprise in-laws waiting for him. Well, he might mind it, but it was hell of a lot better than them actually taking Kichirou out of the house like this. Damn, they must be pissed that he'd skipped their scheduled visit last month... And the holiday visit, too. Yosuke grimaced at the paper and then called them up.

"Furusawa-san?"

"Ah, Hanamura-san... We expected you to call. Kichirou-kun is doing fine. We will return him on Friday. We were... worried about him living without his mother. We decided we could help."

"I get that," Yosuke said. "But you really should have, you know, talked with me about it!"

"We hadn't seen him in so long," the older man replied smoothly, "that maybe we were carried away... Nevertheless, you know he is safe with us."

"Fine," Yosuke said, but it came out harsh because he was not happy. "Put my son on the line, please."

He heard some talking in the background and after several long moments, his son's voice came loud and clear. "Daaaaad!"

"Ki-kun! Hey, you all right with staying with your grandparents for a bit? I can't believe they just took you like that, sheesh." That last bit was mostly muttered to himself.

"Uh, umm," the boy stuttered. Probably his grandparents were standing over him while he was on the phone, listening to at least his half of the conversation.

"Hey, I can come visit, if you'd like." Heck, Yosuke would like that. A week without Kichirou, with an empty house, was going to be rough.

"Uh, umm, w-well... It's okay, Dad. Uh, umm..."

Yosuke frowned into the phone. Maybe the boy wasn't sure of the situation himself. Seeing his grandparents only once every month or so meant he wasn't that close to them. "It's all right. They said they'd bring you home on Friday."

"Oh! Okay!" Kichirou seemed happy to hear that. They mustn't have told him. Yosuke shook his head. Michiko hadn't been close to her parents; maybe this poor communication was why.

"Be good for them, all right?"

"All right, Dad! Goodbye!"

Instead of handing the phone back to his grandfather, Kichirou hung up. Yosuke decided not to call back. He brooded for some time, noting how quiet the house seemed without his son around. Kichirou wasn't a noisy kid, but he would play his video games, he would get up to use the toilet or get a drink or ask Yosuke for a snack after dinner, or ask for help with his homework...

And Yosuke couldn't give him a bath. He'd forgotten to tell the grandparents about that. He should have given them some rules, too, about taking care of the boy. Like, bedtime, 10 pm sharp! Don't let him stay up later!

He wandered into Kichirou's room, wondering if they knew where he went to school, and then checked to see if they'd brought changes of clothes for the kid, too. He'd need one school uniform, at least. Yeah, they had raided the drawers.

Then he sat on the boy's futon and stared unseeing at the boy's TV.

Just another few days. He could handle that. And Monday was already almost over, so that meant there was only Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then on Friday he'd come home from work to find Ki-kun waiting for him. So basically just three days. It'd be fine.

* * *

Tuesday night wasn't so bad—Yosuke invited Hiroshi-kun's father over and they watched a televised baseball game together. Mr. Ito knew so much about stats and current standings. Yosuke would have learned a lot if he'd found it in himself to care. At least it distracted him for a little bit, and they had a nice chat after the game was over.

Wednesday wasn't bad, either—Yosuke decided to spend the evening doing all the shopping he'd planned to do over the weekend so that when his son was back, they could spend that time doing something else much more fun than buying groceries.

Thursday night was when the loneliness became a little too much.

Restless, Yosuke found himself in his son's room again. He sat on the futon and discovered that the boy had left his cell phone there. When his grandparents had taken him away, he must've so distracted that he'd forgotten it.

Yosuke picked up the cell phone and absently turned it over in his hands. Poor Kichirou probably felt naked without it. At the same time, the kid wasn't really glued to it or anything like he'd heard of happening in other families.

He flipped the phone open and noticed there was a number of new texts. Popular kid, huh...? He closed the phone and then frowned. He really shouldn't. He trusted Kichirou and there was no question he was a good kid. But Yosuke was alone and missed him and...

He opened the phone back up and began to look through some of the boy's messages.

Most of the sent and received text messages were to his friend Hiroshi, of course. Yosuke only read a few before giving up. Had slang evolved that much since he'd been in school? He couldn't really make heads or tails about what they were saying to each other, but he suspected some of the acronyms were related to a video game. It would be just like his son to talk about what was happening in a game right as he played it.

Yosuke noticed that one of the contacts was labeled, 'Mom.' If he really wanted, he could get Michiko's current phone number from it. He decided against it in the end. He wasn't sure what he'd do with it. He wouldn't call her to beg her to come back to him or anything. And with the visitation schedule set up, he didn't have anything to say to her.

Kichirou's most-called number, as it turned out, wasn't his best friend or his mom. It was a contact labeled, 'Uncle.'

It was kind of depressing that his son had more contact with Souji now than he did, wasn't it?

In fact, the most recent text message was from 'Uncle.'

_You can call me anytime, you know, Kicchan (=^-w-^=)_

Yosuke knew he shouldn't, he really shouldn't... but he began to go through the Kichirou's text message log to and from Souji.

There wasn't much. Most of Kichirou's texts to him were simple, 'Can I call you now?' queries. Souji's answer was usually, 'Of course,' but there was one 'Just a few minutes, please, and I'll call you!' Every message Souji sent had a silly emoticon at the end. It was rather endearing.

Probably any serious discussions the two had were through actual calls. Well, that's good. Yosuke shouldn't be prying.

But he continued to pry, anyway.

He found a text from Souji asking if he could call Kichirou, and the reversal puzzled him for a moment until he read the text the boy had sent beforehand:

_I think Dad's crying I don't know what to do_

Yosuke stared at the text, and then checked the date it had been sent. Yeah, not long after he'd asked Souji to leave them. So. His son had seen him crying to himself on the living room couch. He looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. Then he snorted, recalling how he'd once asked Souji for advice when his son had been crying. That felt like eons ago, now.

_I miss you and I think Dad misses you too_

...His son was perceptive, wasn't he...?

Yosuke backed out of the texts menu and closed the phone with a very long sigh. But the truth was that if Souji was here, he wouldn't be half so lonely while his son was away.

* * *

Yosuke came home from work on Friday full of excitement, but his enthusiasm was killed dead in its tracks.

_Kichirou was not there._

In frustration he called the Furusawas to demand an explanation.

"We'll bring him tomorrow," his father-in-law promised.

"What time?" Yosuke grumbled. Kichirou didn't have Saturday school the next day, so the boy would be free in the morning.

"Mid-afternoon," the man replied promptly.

"Fine. Fine," Yosuke repeated. "Lemme talk to him, okay?"

"Unfortunately," — Yosuke could hear the grimace in his voice — "he's in time out."

"Huh? What did he do? Not eat his vegetables?" Yosuke forced a dark chuckle. "Don't be too harsh on him, Furusawa-san. I still want to talk to him."

"I'm afraid that since he is in my house, he has to live under my rules. And—"

"He shouldn't even be at your house!" Yosuke growled.

"We will see you tomorrow," the man said coldly, and then there was only a dial tone.

Yosuke swore into the receiver. The hell was wrong with them? Kichirou was his son. He had every right to talk to him, 'time out' or not. He almost tore some of his hair out, but he'd gotten a haircut and it was too short to get a good grip on. He was sorely tempted to get on the bus and go over there right now...!

He sighed and decided to go to bed early that night in the hopes that it would make the next day come sooner.

* * *

Yosuke moped about all Saturday morning, watching awful morning television, when finally his father-in-law called him. "It's, it's..." the man said, gasping.

"What? Just bring my son over already, dammit!"

"He ran away! We don't know where he is!"


	30. Chapter 30 - Kichirou 8

Kichirou had been looking forward to Friday. So far this week with his grandparents had been basically torture. He loved his grandparents because they were his grandparents, and he knew they cared for him, but... they weren't really fun to be around. He felt guilty just thinking about it. He wished he had his cell phone so he could talk to Uncle Seta. Uncle Seta always understood him!

But he didn't have his phone because his grandparents had been in such a rush to take him with them that he'd left it behind. That event had been really weird. He'd been doing his homework at the living room's tea table when they'd knocked on the door. Before he opened the door, he asked who was there, since that was one of Dad's rules. He didn't think there was a problem with his grandparents visiting, so he'd let them in.

Things happened quickly after that, and before the boy even understood what was going on, he was in his grandparents' car and they were telling him that he would stay with them for a while.

It was so boring here! His grandparents only had toys meant for little kids—his much younger cousins—and, worse, they had no video games. The spare bedroom that he was sequestered in didn't even have a TV. On the first afternoon, his grandmother had told him to do his homework and study, and when she'd checked up on him later, she'd been really happy to see him working. He didn't have much homework, though, so he'd started drawing in his notebook. Unfortunately, she hadn't been impressed with his art.

He sighed to himself. Yeah, he'd been looking forward to Friday—grandparents were fun to visit but you didn't want to live there—but the whole day had dragged on and they hadn't brought him back home to Dad. When he asked when they were going, Grandma and Grandpa exchanged glances and then told him 'tomorrow.'

Tomorrow had arrived, and there was still no sign that they were going to take him home. They hadn't packed any of his clothes or anything.

By now he really, really wished he had his cell phone. He missed his dad! At least he saw Hiroshi-kun at school. But Dad he hadn't seen and hadn't heard from at all and he was starting to get depressed about it. He thought of using the house phone, but it was in the middle of the living room, and there was always someone there, and he'd have to ask permission and he honestly wasn't sure he'd get it. Not that it mattered in the end, since he didn't actually remember the number to his house.

To while away the time, he was drawing in the coloring book they'd given him when he'd mentioned he was bored. He was turning the happy teddy bear into an angry bear with a sword in his paw. He began to draw a shield too—what kind of emblem should it have?—when he heard his grandparents in the next room. The thing with fusuma was that sound carried through them quite easily.

"A man simply can't raise a child on his own."

"If he's not a good husband, he cannot be a good father."

"As if Michiko was a good wife and mother."

Kichirou's lower lip puckered. Why would they say things like this?

"If he comes for the boy, we can't stop him. What if he calls the police?"

"We are Michiko's parents."

"Are they even divorced yet?"

It became clear that they didn't want Kichirou to go home. They wanted to keep him here forever.

As they continued to speak poorly of both of his parents, Kichirou couldn't take it anymore. He ran out the front door before anyone could stop him, tears streaming down his face.

He ran and ran, so angry and hurt that he didn't pay attention to where he was going. This part of the city was rather busy, and he was soon lost in the crowds. He eventually stopped at a street corner and wiped his eyes and took deep breaths.

When he finally calmed down, he didn't know where he was or remember where he'd come from. People passed by him on either side. Some gave him looks, wondering maybe why he was alone. He tried to look for someone or something he recognized.

But there was nothing. He was completely lost.


	31. Chapter 31

The only words going through Yosuke's mind were strings of curses. He grabbed his wallet, keys, and cell phone and immediately headed out to the bus. He tried to calm himself but fuck, his kid was missing. It took all of his energy to remain angry and not fall into despair.

And Kichirou didn't have his phone, so Yosuke couldn't just call and ask him where the hell he was or anything. Dammit, why the hell would he run away? Where the hell would he go? He didn't know the neighborhood over there, probably didn't know how to get home, if that was where he was going. Maybe he would know how to ride the bus? But the city had several bus routes, he could get on the wrong one and get lost and... He'd never ridden the bus alone before. And if he somehow made it home, he might not have his key—oh, but he could just go to Hiroshi-kun's house... Then what? Then the Itos would call him, right?

Yosuke wiped the sweat from his brow. This early autumn heat wasn't helping. His son, he couldn't manage without his son. Dammit, if something happened to him...!

What felt like hours later, he finally he reached the Furusawa residence. He rang the doorbell several times in rapid succession in his frustration as he fantasized about kicking down the damned door—

It opened a fraction, and a frightened-looking Mrs. Furusawa hid herself behind it. "Hanamura-san...!" she whispered. "We were talking, and then we heard the front door close and Kichirou-kun was gone!"

Yosuke pushed his way into the house, not that she resisted him at all. "When?"

"T-two hours ago."

"Two hours ago!?" he repeated. "And you only just called me?"

"We were sure we could find him." She lowered her eyes. "We-we're sorry, I..."

Before she could finish, Yosuke left the house. He stopped a few steps from the stoop and looked out unseeing into the street. He ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair and sniffled. Damn it, Kichirou, why...?

Mrs. Furusawa joined him and gently told him that her husband was out there looking for him. Yosuke barely registered her words. His mind whirled, trying to figure out what could have happened. "Did Michiko visit at all during the time he was here?" he asked.

"No, actually... We tried to invite her, but her phone doesn't seem to be in service."

Yosuke stared up at the sky. Ha, she'd never given them her new number, either. It would've been funny if the situation wasn't so dire.

Damn it all, he didn't know the first place to look for the boy. There was a park nearby they'd taken him to once. It was as good a place as any to try. He strode in that direction, the fact that he was taking action temporarily halting his panic.

A menagerie of kids were playing on the playground, but none of them were Kichirou. He tried asking a small group of parents sitting on a bench if they'd seen his son, but there was no luck. Kichirou didn't have any distinguishing features and Yosuke didn't even know what clothes he was wearing today. It wouldn't be his school uniform since there hadn't been Saturday school today.

With the park a bust, Yosuke didn't know what else to do or where else to look. Find the police, maybe, but he was just as unfamiliar with this area of town as Ki-kun was. There wasn't even a store or restaurant nearby that they'd been to. They really only came to this area to visit the grandparents.

In desperation, Yosuke was about to accost a child around his son's age, but then his cell phone jingled in his pocket.

He took it out and stared dully at the screen. Souji was calling him.

He didn't answer. He wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his arm and sniffled.

The phone rang again. Souji again. Yosuke watched the little dots at the end of the words "Now calling..." dance until the call ended, redirected to voice mail.

He blinked, trying to get himself out of this stupor. He hustled away from the park, the sounds of the children playing the opposite of music to his ears.

Then his phone buzzed in his hand. This time it was a text message. He opened it.

_Call me asap._

It was from Souji.

Not now, partner. Yosuke hiccuped. Not now...!

Another buzz.

_I have something that belongs to you._

Yosuke stared uncomprehendingly at the message, then navigated to the oldest name in his contact list. "Souji," he said when the guy picked up, "man, what is... I can't talk. M-my son is..."

"I know," Souji replied swiftly. "I found him."

"Wh-what!?"

"Here, Kicchan, let your dad know you're okay."

A short pause, and then his son's voice came loud and clear. "Dad, I'm okay! Umm, I miss you..."

Souji took the phone over from there. "Where are you? I could take him to your place."

"Y-yeah. Umm, I'm at his grandparents'. My place? A-all right..."

"I'll see you there."

In a daze, Yosuke returned to his in-laws and told Mrs. Furusawa that his son had called him. Without waiting for her response, he left the house and trekked to the nearest bus stop. His mind was blank during the entire ride home.

Sure enough, when he opened the door to his house, he found Souji and Kichirou sitting together on the couch. He immediately picked his son up in a sweeping embrace that might have been a little too tight. He didn't hide his tears. "Dammit, Ki-kun! You... I thought... Why did you run away from your grandparents?"

"S-sorry, Dad..." the boy whimpered in his arms.

Calming down, Yosuke fell onto the couch and settled the boy in his lap. Now he looked at his best friend, a mix of emotions flowing within him. There were so many questions to ask. He started with the biggest one on his mind: "How the heck did you find him, partner?"

"Well," Souji began. "You'll have to ask Kicchan why he ran away from his grandparents."

Kichirou's expression darkened. "They were talking bad about you and Mom, and it hurt, so I left, and..."

Souji filled in the rest. "He got lost. He eventually found a train station, and asked a policeman there to use the phone. He called me, and, well, I went and got him. There you have it." The man lifted his shoulders in a shrug as if it was just that simple.

"How did he know your number and not mine?" Yosuke asked.

"I remembered it because it was a song," Kichirou said. "A-and because I've called him lots of times. But your number's always been in my phone, Dad! I didn't remember it..."

Yosuke hugged his son closer. "It's all right. Don't leave the house without your phone next time, okay?"

"Y-yeah, Dad. I won't!" the boy promised.

"Souji," Yosuke said, turning to his friend even with Kichirou still in his arms. "I can't thank you enough for going out of your way to collect him like that. I'm glad you were still around town."

"Hey! Kicchan's important to me, too!" Souji protested. "And he was at a train station, so it wasn't that far."

"Yeah..." Yosuke scratched Kichirou's head affectionately, then gently pushed the boy out of his lap before looking at Souji again. "Sorry I'm not a better host. My nerves are kind of shot. Do you want a drink or anything?"

"I'm all right," Souji murmured. "You don't need to do anything for me."

He wasn't looking at Yosuke, instead focused on Kichirou, who didn't seem to know what he should be doing now. Yosuke asked him to get his uncle a soda.

While Kichirou was in the kitchen, Yosuke thanked his friend again. "You might as well stay for dinner," he said. "We'll probably get takeout, though... I'm totally not in the mood to cook. I know you hate that."

"Oh, well, I don't want to impose," Souji said demurely, still not looking at Yosuke.

"It's not a big deal, partner," Yosuke assured him. "You can even stay the night, if you want. I mean, it's already pretty late in the afternoon. And... and we need to catch up, after all!"

Now Souji gave him a funny look. Yosuke wished he wasn't so surprised! But... considering their lack of contact over the last several weeks, maybe it was understandable. Yosuke felt his pulse quicken as he realized that ignoring his friend the way he had might have given him the wrong idea. Souji certainly looked reluctant to accept his offer.

"Y-you know where we keep the spare futon," Yosuke pressed, waving a hand towards the hallway and trying not to worry.

"Uncle Seta is staying the night!?" Kichirou exclaimed.

The two adults glanced at the boy. He'd returned with the cans of soda and must have overheard them.

Souji relaxed enough to give the boy what appeared to be a genuine smile. "Yeah, why not? Maybe tomorrow we'll go to the park again, huh?"

"Sure," Yosuke agreed. "Why don't you two work on getting the futon out while I order us some dinner?"

* * *

During dinner, Kichirou told them all about his stay with his grandparents. How he'd finished his homework the first day, how he'd been bored after that, how he'd missed Dad and missed being at home...

"If I'd known it was that bad, I'd have come for you," Yosuke said. "I really didn't think they'd try to pull something like this."

"They didn't have any video games," Kichirou said, as if that was the main issue here.

"If they visit again when I'm not here, don't answer the door for them," Yosuke told him. "What in the world could they have been thinking?"

He looked at Souji, who seemed troubled about the situation but hadn't contributed anything. In fact, he'd been unnaturally quiet during the whole meal.

"What do you think I should do about it?" Yosuke asked, trying to include him in the conversation.

It took Souji a long moment to realize he was even being addressed. "What?" he said, then he blinked out of his reverie. "Oh. Well, you're gonna have to talk it out with them." He thought it over for a moment longer. "You should probably tell Michiko-san about this. They're her parents, after all."

"Yeah..." Yosuke agreed reluctantly, punctuating it with a sigh, knowing his friend was right about that. At least he had a way to contact his wife now, what with Ki-kun having her number in his phone.

His friend apparently didn't have any further advice, and so it grew quiet while they ate from their takeout boxes. Yosuke didn't know what to say. He noticed that Souji was toying with his food more than eating it, which was unlike him, but Yosuke didn't have much of an appetite himself after the day he'd had. He was still feeling nervous.

"U-Uncle Seta?" Kichirou ventured. "How is your job?"

Souji held his lower lip in his teeth before answering. "It's... just a job." He shrugged and didn't say any more, not even to spin it into an interesting story like he so often enjoyed doing in the past.

"Do you have to go back soon?" the boy asked. His tone was clearly hopeful that he wouldn't.

Souji didn't look at Yosuke when he said, "I'll talk to your dad later."

"Umm, sure?" Yosuke said uncertainly.

Another awkward silence ensued, with Kichirou looking back and forth between the two adults with a puzzled frown on his youthful face.

"Uh, so... are you done with that?" Yosuke waved vaguely at their takeout boxes. "Souji, partner, why don't you go play with Ki-kun while I clean up?"

Souji leaned back in his chair and looked at Kichirou, then nodded.

* * *

After watching a few episodes of Featherman that evening, it was time to put Kichirou to bed. Yosuke tried to pull the pajama top down over his son's head, but the boy slipped out of his grasp like an eel with a mission. "I don't wanna...!" the boy cried.

"Kichirou-kun!" Yosuke called in a no-nonsense voice, though privately he was amused by the boy's antics. "Get back here this instant!"

"I wanna play with Uncle Seta some more!"

Yosuke shook his head and followed his son, who was clad only in his underwear, back out into the living room. Souji was sitting at the tea table in what was once his regular spot. He was watching the excited boy with bemusement. "Ah, partner," Yosuke said. "Maybe you can put him to bed?"

"Hmm, all right." Souji pulled himself to his feet with a half-smile on his face. "Kicchan, come on. I'll read you the next chapter of your book, how's that?"

"Okay!"

Yosuke remained in the living room. Since the door to his son's room was open, Souji's voice carried through the hallway as he read to the boy. Hearing this, Yosuke felt something warm settling within him. Souji loved Kichirou, there was no doubt about it. That he'd gone so far out of his way to pick up Kichirou from that train station like that...

There was also no doubt that Souji was the best friend he could ever have.

Apparently Souji had finished the chapter, because now Kichirou was trying to get him to read another. The man simply promised that they'd play tomorrow and wished him sweet dreams. Yosuke wondered if Souji kissed the boy's forehead before turning out the light. He smiled at the thought. It was cute to imagine.

The smile faded from Yosuke's face when Souji returned to the living room; his friend was definitely not smiling. Souji glanced at Yosuke and then away. He walked to the spare futon he'd set out earlier and perched precariously on its edge.

The ensuing silence was suffocating. Yosuke squirmed, his palms becoming sweaty, before it just became too much. "Err... Thanks again," he blurted out in an attempt to break it. "You're the best, partner."

Souji looked down at his lap. "...Am I?"

"Y-yeah!" Yosuke shot him a worried smile that he didn't see. "You found my son. I can't thank you enough—"

"Am I even your partner anymore?" the man continued as if he hadn't heard him. "You haven't called me or talked to me at all. What did I do, Yosuke?"

"What...?" Yosuke repeated with a frown.

"What did I do that was wrong? Why... why did you tell me to leave like that...?"

Souji looked so sorrowful that Yosuke couldn't manage to say anything.

"You became so d-distant..." Souji's soft voice cracked with emotion. "You ignored my calls. I thought I'd offended you somehow. I didn't understand it at all, and I didn't know how to ask why..." The man shook his head. His fingers were gripping the sheets atop the futon so tightly that his knuckles were white. "Wh-When I left here, I felt lost. I didn't know what to do. In the end I went back to Inaba to stay with my uncle and Nanako. The only place it seems I'm able to call home."

At the word 'home,' Yosuke hunched his shoulders. He knew how important the concept of home was to Souji...

Souji quieted for a moment, then continued, his voice still barely above a whisper. "It took Nanako-chan to figure it out. I'd... I'd thought I was part of your family, and then you'd told me that I wasn't. Not with words, but... I still... Y-you hurt me." He lifted his head, and his stormy eyes bore right into Yosuke. "You know how much I care for you and Kicchan, and you pushed me away and I didn't understand and I still don't understand. And it hurts!"

Yosuke blinked away tears, knowing that the time for dancing around the issue was long past. If he didn't at least try to explain himself, his friend would never understand. Things would never be the same between them, but... maybe he could salvage their friendship.

"S-Souji, I... I had to push you away," he began, "as far away as I could. It's stupid, it's ridiculous, but... I was developing this massive crush on you!" Yosuke waved a hand as if to emphasize how absurd that was. "I thought it was a rebound," he admitted in a mutter, "because you fit so well into our lives, picking up where Michiko left off. I couldn't do that to you, partner!"

At that, he looked at Souji, but from all the tears suddenly filling his eyes, his friend's form was just a blur; if the man was reacting in any way to his words, there was no way Yosuke could tell.

"I thought I'd get over it with you gone," Yosuke continued in a whimper, "but I was wrong, I was so, so wrong, Souji, dammit, partner..." He coughed as it became difficult to breathe. His face felt hot, feverish, and his fingernails were digging deep into his palms. "I m-missed you every day. I never wanted you to leave. I wish I could've just told you, but I c-couldn't."

Souji whispered his name in question.

Yosuke tried wiping his eyes but a new slew of tears came out. He swallowed the lump in his throat and croaked out the rest. "I want you to be part of our lives, to stay with me—with us—for... for as long as you can." He shook his head, recognizing the truth now for what it was. "I love you, Souji, and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

He wept openly now, making no effort to stem the tears. He continued to blubber incoherent apologies until suddenly arms were wrapping around him and Souji was on the couch with him, shushing him.

"It's all right, Yosuke... Calm down... I understand now..."

"S-Souji," Yosuke whimpered against the man's chest. "I didn't think I could love again and then it hit me that I l-loved you. Next to Ki-kun, you're everything to me. Please don't..." He sniffled and coughed and tried once again to rub his eyes. "I don't even know what I'm asking you to do. N-not hate me, I guess. I'm just... I'm sorry, I can't help it, I'm such a mess, just..."

Then Souji's fingers were over his lips, preventing him from talking. "What, you thought I wouldn't return your feelings?" Souji asked. Now the man brushed those fingers against Yosuke's cheek and looked right into his blurry eyes. "Yosuke. It's not hard for me to love you. I already do."

Yosuke's breath caught in his throat—and then Souji kissed him. A gentle kiss slick with the taste of salt from both of their tears. After it, Souji took out a handkerchief and tenderly wiped Yosuke's face with it.

"You still hurt me," Souji murmured. "But I think I forgive you."


	32. Chapter 32 - Souji 1

[Summary: Souji reflects on how things have turned out.]

* * *

Souji sat on the couch, his best friend cradled in his arms. After that confession, Yosuke had essentially cried himself to sleep, which left Souji alone there to consider everything. His shirt was soaked with tears... and they weren't only Yosuke's.

He gently drew fingers through his slumbering friend's short, dark hair. Yosuke'd had such a rough day. Souji didn't want to imagine the gut-wrenching panic he must have been in while trying to find little Kicchan, although it was all too easy. The boy was like a son to him, too. That's why he'd dropped everything he was doing when that policeman had called from that train station. That the boy had known his phone number by heart—what a surprise!

Not that he'd been doing much of anything, anyway... He'd just been tutoring Nanako-chan in some of her college classes while doing some soul-searching, trying to figure out what he wanted out of life.

Seeing Kicchan again had answered that. His heart had been bursting with so much joy that it was impossible to quantify. He'd missed him so, so much, missed being his goofy uncle.

And he'd missed Yosuke, too.

He felt his eyes water, but he blinked the tears away. It had hurt so much, not hearing from Yosuke, not knowing why. To be pushed away like that, like he wasn't wanted or needed at all... But Souji could totally believe that Yosuke had thought it was for the best.

"You're such an idiot," Souji whispered with fondness.

He bent his head down and gave Yosuke a light peck on the cheek. The man remained asleep. He was exhausted and Souji judged that he wouldn't be conscious for a long while now.

He let out a soft sigh. Really, he hadn't expected his best friend to fall in love with him, mostly because they were such close friends. But Yosuke hadn't added any caveat to his confession; it had come purely from his heart, and Souji couldn't imagine him taking it back later.

As for Souji... He'd already loved Yosuke as his best friend. To be more than that wasn't something he'd seriously considered before, but now that it was in front of him... Well, _yes_.

Yosuke's body was so warm in his arms. The man looked so vulnerable while he was asleep like this. Souji wished he was awake so that they could speak more calmly and discover exactly what they wanted from each other.

They'd do that in the morning, he supposed with a huge yawn that almost pushed Yosuke off his chest. He was tired—it hadn't been an easy day for him, either...!

As cute as it would be, he knew Yosuke would be sore in the morning if he slept the whole night in this position. Souji carefully lifted his friend—he was still too skinny, he noticed with a frown. He probably still wasn't eating much—and carried him to the bedroom. He freed a hand to unmake the bed, carefully placed the man on it, and then covered him up with the sheets. Yosuke stirred only enough to emit a heavy sigh.

Souji watched the rise and fall of his chest as he slept for over a minute, longing in his heart. He didn't want to leave Yosuke alone, not now. He lifted the sheets and slipped in right next to him. He hesitated only a moment before wrapping his arm over him and pulling him into a hug from behind.

* * *

[Author's Notes: Back during the bedroom redecoration chapter, someone mentioned that they wanted Souji to join Yosuke in the bed. Well, there you go! I wrote this just for you.

And when they wake up the next day, sexytimes happen. I posted the smut externally to keep the T rating here. It can be found at the following addresses:  
ao3 dot org/works/4500351 (for the Souji version)  
angevon dot dreamwidth dot org/22231 dot html (for the Yu version)

It's too explicit to be posted directly here on ffnet, so...

**You do not have to read the smut if that's not your thing!** Any important dialogue in it will be repurposed in the next chapter so you won't miss anything, I promise.

And next week's chapter will have more content than this one, I promise! I'm still writing it, actually... haha.]


	33. Chapter 33

After getting changed the next morning, Yosuke found Souji watching the morning news on the couch. He joined his friend there and together they watched the weather report, which said that it would be a beautiful day. It'd be perfect for going to the park with Kichirou when the boy woke up.

While the broadcast changed to sports news, Yosuke suddenly felt Souji's hand creep into his.

Before he could think about it, Yosuke flinched and pulled his hand away. He regretted it immediately, because the surprise on Souji's face quickly gave way to hurt.

Determined to fix that, Yosuke grabbed Souji's hand and held it tight. "I-I'm sorry. I'm new to this."

Now Souji was frowning in puzzlement. "New to this? You were married!"

"Y-yeah, but..." Yosuke sighed, then leaned his head against the couch's back. "...I guess I see now why Michiko left me. Our life was never... never... _this._" He held up their joined hands to indicate them.

"You were sort of a mess when I got here," Souji admitted. A half-smile played on his features. "I wondered how you'd managed all these years."

"Thanks for not letting it show, partner," Yosuke said flatly, though the man wasn't wrong.

Souji extricated his hand from his grip, and then gently began to run his finger's over Yosuke's palm. "You know, Michiko-san is a kind person."

"What?"

"I don't think she'd have left Kicchan with you if she didn't think you could handle it. And... anyone else would think you couldn't, but she trusted you."

"She still trusts me..." Yosuke murmured. "Ki-kun probably gives her reports every week about how we're doing."

"I don't know about that, but he sure as heck gave me reports," Souji said with a grin. "He's a good boy, and I wonder sometimes how he's your son."

"That's harsh, partner..."

Souji chuckled lightly. He stopped playing with Yosuke's hand to entwine their fingers together. For a while after that, the only sound was the TV still tuned into the news.

"Souji, I..." Yosuke said, breaking the silence that had come between them. "Are you really okay with this? I'm still married to Michiko. I don't know if we'll even get divorced at this rate."

"I don't mind that, Yosuke," Souji told him. "All I want... All I want is to be here with you, to be a part of your life and Kicchan's."

Feeling lightheaded, Yosuke wrapped his arm behind Souji's back and pulled him close.

"In fact I... I might have always wanted this," Souji confessed against his shoulder. "You always were my most important friend."

Yosuke shook his head. "Keep that up and you're gonna make me cry again. I can't be this lucky."

"Yosuke." Souji sighed. He planted a warm kiss on Yosuke's cheek. "I love you," he said in a low whisper.

"Souji—" Yosuke began, but the man pulled away and stood up.

"Do you want to make breakfast today, or should I? Kicchan will be waking up soon."

"You do it, please," Yosuke answered weakly. "B-but what about Ki-kun...? Do we tell him about... us? How do we tell him? I, I mean... I don't know what he'd think..."

"He'd be happy that you're happy," Souji told him, his smile reassuring. "But let's not tell him. Not until we know what's going on with this divorce. I'll keep the spare futon out here and... pretend to use it."

"Okay," said Yosuke. They'd have to be careful not to be too obvious, which might be difficult considering how much Yosuke wanted to cling to Souji and not let him go.

Souji had pulled out his phone and was now aiming the camera at him. "Smile for me, Yosuke."

Yosuke blinked. "What?"

"I need new pictures. Smile for me, loverboy."

"D-don't call me that," Yosuke stammered, feeling his face warm up.

Souji lowered the phone, a contemplative look on his face. Then he brought it back up. "Smile for me... partner."

Yosuke swayed, a wave of dizziness coming over him. Though 'partner' was his nickname for Souji, the man rarely called him that in return. To hear him use it in that low tone of voice... it was like a dream come true.

Souji was by his side in a flash, steadying him on the couch. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to make you melt! I just wanted a nice big smile... Yes, like that one!" The man threw his arm around Yosuke and then pointed the camera phone towards them and snapped a photo. "There. Our first day together."

"I love you," Yosuke told him.

Souji kissed him. "Now keep that dreamy smile on and wake up your boy!" He pushed Yosuke off the couch and in the direction of the hallway, his hands lingering maybe a bit longer than necessary on the small of his back, the realization of this turning Yosuke's smile into a big grin.

It was going to be a great day.

* * *

And it was a great morning, at least. The two adults were watching Kichirou go down the slide at the park when Souji announced that he wanted to make a trip to Inaba to gather his things from home. The train ride there and back again would take up most of the afternoon. If he left now, he could be back in time for dinner.

"W-wait, Uncle Seta... is going to stay with us again?" Kichirou asked. He was sitting at the bottom of the slide.

"Th-that's right," Yosuke told him, smiling at the hopeful grin on his face. He turned to Souji. "Though you don't have go right this minute. You can borrow some of my clothes, you know."

Souji was, in fact, wearing the same clothes he'd had on yesterday when he'd found Kichirou. "I could have Nanako-chan send everything over," Souji admitted, "but... I would like to tell her and my uncle about all this in person. She might have wondered why I didn't come home last night. I don't want to disappear on them, like a certain little boy did!"

Kichirou hunched his shoulders down. "I'm s-sorry," he mumbled.

"It's all right, Kicchan. You know better now, and we know it won't happen again."

"Umm..." Yosuke began uncertainly. "Do you want us to see you off at the station?" Part of him didn't want to; it'd remind him too much of when he'd asked Souji to leave all those months ago.

"Actually," Souji said, "I was thinking of taking Kichirou with me. If that's okay. Because... there's something you need to do."

Yosuke blinked at him in confusion.

"You need to deal with his grandparents," Souji explained. "The last thing we need is for them to show up at your house and cause drama. You can confront them while we're at Inaba. Well... unless you'd like me to be there for backup. I don't mind being there for you."

Yosuke opened his mouth, almost ready to say that yes, he did need backup, but he realized in that moment that it didn't have to be Souji. "Yeah, all right." He went up to his son still sitting on the end of the slide, knelt down to his height, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Be good for your uncle on the trip, Ki-kun, all right? Make sure he packs enough underwear."

* * *

After seeing them off, Yosuke returned home. He went into Kichirou's room and picked up the boy's cell phone from the desk. He navigated to the contact marked 'Mom' and called it.

When the phone picked up, he said, "Hey, Michiko, it's me, Yosuke. We need to talk. It's about our son."

"Yes?" Michiko answered. "Is he doing all right?"

"Your parents tried to kidnap him!"

"What!?"

* * *

Michiko was waiting for him outside of her parents' place. There was little ceremony involved in their meeting; simple 'hellos' were exchanged and then she gave him a once over, taking a moment to straighten his collar for him. "Let's get this over with, huh?" she said, stepping away after that. He nodded, and they went inside.

The Furusawas stiffly invited them into their tatami room. Yosuke and Michiko sat at what had once been their regular seats at the tea table and waited for the tea to be served.

Michiko broke the ensuing awkward silence. Her hands were curled on the table. "How dare you try to steal my son away from his father."

Her anger had always been a quiet wrath. She rarely raised her voice, but the quality of outrage in it now was unmistakable.

"Micchan," Mr. Furusawa said, "we hadn't seen the boy in months—"

"So call up Yosuke and ask for a visit!" Michiko interrupted. "How hard is that to do?"

"We would have visited you ourselves," Yosuke said. "It's just been a little hard for us... I'm sorry we haven't, but..."

Michiko shot him a look that clearly said, 'Don't apologize.'

"It was difficult for us, too," Mr. Furusawa tried to defend. "We don't know if he wants to cut ties from us! You have to understand, we were afraid of losing our grandson with this divorce!"

"And that gives you the right to snatch him from his home?" Michiko countered. "Listen to me. I left Kichirou in Yosuke's care. That's where he belongs."

"A boy can't be raised by a man alone!"

Michiko smacked the table, causing the teacups to rattle in their saucers. "If I didn't think Yosuke could handle it, I wouldn't have left Kichirou there with him!" she growled. "And he won't be completely alone—I have been visiting him. You had absolutely no right to butt in on their lives together, and after this, we would be justified in not letting you see the boy at all!"

"I'd like to bring up another concern," Yosuke said mildly. "The reason Ki-kun ran away was because he overheard you two talking about us. Gossip about his parents... He doesn't want to hear that."

Mrs. Furusawa face was now ashen. She at least accepted her responsibility in the event. Her husband seemed chastised, too. "We're sorry," he said. "Please don't... Please don't take our grandson away from us."

Michiko looked at Yosuke. This was his decision.

After a long pause, he said, "I think you've learned your lesson. But if you ever do something like this again..." And when we do visit, I'm not letting Ki-kun out of my sight, he vowed.

The Furusawas sighed as one in relief, and went on to apologize further, but Michiko cut it short. She'd likely had enough of her parents for one day.

Yosuke followed her out of the house. "Michiko, thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for, Yosuke. The nerve of those people..." Michiko shook her head. "If they ever give you problems again, call me immediately."

"Y-yeah..."

She told him to get out his phone and proceeded to give him her new number. "Immediately," she repeated with a hard smile.

She began to walk away. Yosuke watched her leave and thought to himself that maybe, just maybe, if she was still Ki-kun's mom... then it didn't really matter why she'd left him.

* * *

[Author's Note: Uhh, I don't have any ideas for other things to happen in the story, so unless there's something you all really wanna see, we'll just move along right on to the end. There's only one more chapter and the epilogue left.

I can't believe it's almost over. I might cry when I post the last one, haha...]


	34. Chapter 34 - Kichirou 9

Kichirou was feeling restless this night. He gave up on trying to sleep and decided to get up and use the bathroom as an excuse to stretch his legs.

Out in the hallway, though, he paused. His uncle was awake, illuminated by the television he was watching from the couch. Kichirou stepped quietly forward, not wanting to disturb him, and then noticed that his dad was on the couch, too.

The two adults were sitting very close, actually... Kichirou heard them whispering, too quietly for him to hear over the faint noise from the television. He frowned to himself. He needed a better vantage point. He was about to step closer when he heard the unmistakable sound of a kiss.

It hadn't come from the TV.

He emitted a small squeak of surprise and uh oh, they'd both turned their heads in his direction.

"Kicchan, is that you?" Uncle Seta asked softly. He saw his uncle blinking at him, unable to see him in the darkness of the hallway.

There was some further whispering and then his father said, "Come on out, Ki-kun. We have something to tell you."

Kichirou obediently moved out of the hallway and into the living room. His dad turned off the TV and turned on the lamp in the corner. Then his dad patted the spot next to him on the couch and asked Kichirou to sit.

As Kichirou looked from his father to his uncle, he noticed that they were holding hands between them.

"Ki-kun," his father began. "Your, uh, your uncle and I, we both love you very much. You know that, right?"

"Y-yeah...?" Kichirou ventured. He'd expected a lecture about eavesdropping, but this situation felt very different. Uncle Seta was holding his breath and his eyes were shining, like he really, really wanted to say something.

"A-and we also love each other," Dad finished, looking directly at Uncle Seta and bringing his other hand to join the one already holding his.

"Very much," Uncle Seta murmured. He slowly moved his head until it was resting against Dad's shoulder. Dad blushed and lowered his gaze. Even without a mirror, Kichirou knew his own face was pink, too.

"Is that okay...?" Uncle Seta sounded faintly worried.

"Huh?" Kichirou blinked at the question. "Well, I kind of knew already..."

"Wh-what?" Dad squawked. "Was it that obvious?"

"I saw you go into the kitchen and kiss him after work once, Dad! And you're always holding hands under the dinner table. I-it's okay! I'm very happy." He smiled at them, and they smiled back.

"So, Kicchan," Uncle Seta said, "you don't have to worry about me leaving you, all right?"

"Yeah!" Kichirou replied with enthusiasm. "I love you, Uncle Seta!"

"We should probably get him to stop calling you 'Uncle,'" his dad murmured.

"Psh," said Uncle Seta. "Rather he call me Papa Seta? Sounds like the name of a band... Please continue to call me Uncle, okay, Kicchan?"

Kichirou nodded. He didn't think he could call him anything else.

"All right." Dad heaved a sigh, but it was a nice sigh, a happy one. "Anyway, Ki-kun, you need to go back to bed."

Kichirou sighed. "Okay, Dad..." he said reluctantly. Then his eyes brightened with mischief. "D-Dad! Can I..."

"Yeah?"

"Can I see you two kiss again?"


	35. Chapter 35 - Epilogue

"Do I look all right?" Yosuke asked, adjusting his orange tie in the mirror. He was wearing his best suit, one reserved for only the most special of occasions, such as weddings... or funerals.

"You look fine," Souji assured him. He dusted off Yosuke's shoulder. "You look... more than fine." He leaned in and kissed Yosuke's cheek.

"C-come off it," Yosuke protested, leaning away and feeling his face heat up.

"You don't even have to dress up, really," Souji told him. "You're just going to sign a paper, and that's that."

"I know. But I don't want to look like a bum for it."

Yosuke sighed.

The time had finally arrived. Just last week, Michiko had called to inform him that she had the divorce paperwork ready. All they had to do was find a time to meet up and sign it together in front of some witnesses. Souji volunteered to be one of them, although Yosuke worried that he wasn't exactly an impartial witness.

Souji assured him that it would be okay.

"I know, I know." Yosuke sighed again. Divorce was inevitable at this point. He was surprised, actually, that it had taken his wife this long to go through with it. "Let's go."

A cafe across town was their meeting location. Yosuke hadn't wanted it to be anywhere near home. He didn't want to have bad memories every time he went to get a coffee at the place down the corner. After a lengthy bus ride, with Souji stroking his hand the whole way in an attempt to calm his nerves, they were there.

Michiko was waiting outside the coffee shop for them, and she wasn't alone. A dark-haired woman in a blazer and a skirt stood next to her. Yosuke blinked in surprise. "Akari-chan?"

The dark-haired woman with Michiko smiled sadly at him. "Hanamura-kun. It's been a long time."

"I didn't know you were in town," he remarked. "Oh... you're our other witness, aren't you?"

"That's right," she admitted.

Yosuke was relieved in a way—at least the other witness wasn't a lawyer or something. And now it almost felt like it was all in the family.

"Shall we get to business?" Michiko said.

They went into the cafe and had some coffee. Yosuke introduced Akari as an old family friend to Souji, and they nodded at each other politely. Then Michiko finally brought forth the paperwork from the folder she had been carrying.

Michiko handed Yosuke a pen. He peered down at the form. Most of it was already filled out. He saw that he was marked as Kichirou's guardian. Michiko's current address was on there, too, but he forced himself not to pay attention to it. No, the line that needed his attention was near the end of the page, just above the witnesses' information, which would have to be filled out in a moment.

Souji's hand under the table squeezed his knee in support. _I'm okay, partner,_ he thought.

Yosuke signed it, stamped it with his seal, and then pushed the paper to Michiko and handed the pen back to her. Her turn now.

She hesitated for a moment to glance at him, and then signed and stamped it. Yosuke let out the breath he had been holding. This was it. It was almost over.

Next, Akari filled out her information, then signed and stamped it. Souji was last. He read over the paper first, but he paused with the pen poised over the paper, a frown on his face. "Umm..."

"What, Souji?" Yosuke asked, getting worried.

Souji shook his head and then began to write.

And that was it. Souji handed the form to Michiko, who carefully folded it into an envelope and sealed it. She promised to send it to the town hall soon.

"That's all, then," Michiko said. She looked at Akari, who nodded back at her. She picked up her purse, preparing to leave.

"Wait, Michiko... can I say one last thing?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes, go on."

He took a deep breath. "I don't... I don't regret it. Even though it didn't turn out, I don't regret loving you. I don't regret marrying you, or being with you." He looked down at the table. "I... just wanted you to know that."

He felt Michiko's stare, but he didn't want to look up. He was sure she'd just walk away now. To his surprise, she reached out to pull his face up by his chin. "I don't regret meeting you either, Yosuke." She was smiling at him, a soft look on her face, her eyes glistening.

Yosuke sighed and pulled away. "Keep in contact, all right?"

"I will. Take care."

The two men watched the women file out of the coffee shop. Yosuke stared after his ex-wife for well over a minute.

"Are you going to be all right?" Souji asked softly.

Yosuke tugged on his collar. "Yeah. It's just the end of one part of my life." He paused. "And the beginning of another, y'know." He leaned his head against his partner's shoulder.

Souji smiled down at him. "I'm glad... but you are allowed to cry, you know."

He shook his head. "I've cried enough over this."

"I'm sure she's cried, too," Souji said diplomatically. "It can't have been an easy decision to make, regardless of her reasons."

"Heh, not as much as me, I'm sure." Yosuke sighed again. Then he looked up at his partner. "Say, Souji... What was wrong with the form? You looked puzzled by something. It's not something that'll cause problems with the divorce, is it?"

"Oh. No, I was just wondering what to put as my address."

"You know..." Yosuke began hesitantly. "My home is your home..."

"Yeah," Souji agreed, "but it might look suspicious if I put that down, so I put my uncle's place."

"My home is your home," Yosuke repeated, this time with extra feeling.

"I heard you the first time," Souji told him, but a moment later Yosuke leaned heavily into him in the booth they were sitting at, fingers grasping at his dress shirt.

Yosuke's eyes began to fill with tears. Souji pulled him into a tight hug. Soon Yosuke felt his partner rubbing his back, then the man cooed into his ear.

"I'm glad," Souji told him. "To finally have a home."

* * *

[Author's notes: Hey everyone! Angevon here~ Thank you for sticking with me and reading all the way to the end! I hope you enjoyed it; I know I looked forward to Tuesdays, even if it was stressful sometimes to get the next chapter up in time, hehe.

It's been a wild ride. I started writing this in June 2014, if you can believe it! I was going through the Persona 4 Kink Meme then and saw the prompt, and... I still remember how I started furiously writing the story in bits and pieces during a family trip because it had captured my imagination so strongly!

For those who are curious, here's a little insight into the thought process that led to me writing this:  
*The main thing that had my attention when I was mulling over this prompt was the curiosity over who Yosuke could have married. I decided that it couldn't be one of the IT girls because that would have been even more tragic than the story already is, haha. I don't think I would have been able to write it. I also have trouble seeing him paired with any of them in the first place—Sorry, Yosuke!  
*With that decision out of the way, I started wondering how the two met and how their courtship went about. The story basically grew from there.  
*As for the kid, it had to be a boy. Otherwise it'd be too similar to Nanako-chan and Dojima. That's also why I decided to make him a little older than Nanako-chan was.

So, where do we go from here? I'm planning to write a '1 year later' thing eventually. I don't know when it will be posted.

There are also a bunch of one-shots that I haven't posted yet. I plan to start posting a new one every week until I run out, so you all still have something to look forward to! (I can't guarantee they'll all be interesting to you or even that they're all souyo, but it's better than nothing, right?). Some I might not be able to post on ffnet due to the rating, though!

It was suggested that I start something like a souyo OTP drabble thing, but I don't know about that. We'll see!

Plug time! If you're interested in my other P4 longfics, there's:  
*Truth in Someone Else (A souyo series that takes place after January in P4)  
*Cielo Mist (Post-game adventure series.)

And there's always my current and ongoing pet project, Nanako Explains It All. I'd be happy if you at least took a look at this!

Finally, if you have any questions regarding Days Without Nights, please feel free to leave a review and I'll be glad to reply! You can also talk to me through tumblr/skype/aim/steam/whatever, all my addresses are available on my tumblr. There is a link in my ffnet profile (since I can't add links here). I'd love to chat about souyo or fanfiction or any of the Persona games or whatever!

Until we meet again, goodbye!]


End file.
